


The History of Dr. Egon Spengler and Janine Melnitz from Ghostbusters (1984)  Part Two

by Janegon11



Category: Ghostbusters (1984-1989; 2020), Ghostbusters - All Media Types, The Real Ghostbusters
Genre: 1980s, Boss/Employee Relationship, Busting makes me feel good, Comedy, Complicated Relationships, Drama, Drama & Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fate, Fate & Destiny, Fluff and Smut, Indecision, Kinky, Light Bondage, Love, New York City, On-Again/Off-Again Relationship, Psychic Abilities, Reminiscing, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Sex, Sexual Tension, True Love, Twinkies, following the first movie, kiss, will they?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:14:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 45,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29355540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janegon11/pseuds/Janegon11
Summary: In late October 1984, we rejoin our story ten months later. The Ghostbusters are in the midst of the City's most active paranormal period in its history, with their business's popularity booming. Although Dr. Egon Spengler and Janine Melnitz finally declared their mutual love for each other, what occurred during that long period? Did love conquer all?
Relationships: Janine Melnitz/Egon Spengler
Comments: 21
Kudos: 11





	1. Take On Me

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer-I do not own anything from the Ghostbusters' movie franchise as they are all the ingenious creation of writers Dan Ackroyd and Harold Ramis. This part uses parts of the movie's script which I found at https://www.theraffon.net/~spookcentral/gb1_script_transcript.htm
> 
> Also, I do not own any rights of the songs that I use as chapter titles or their themes.

_Part 2 Chapter 1_ _"_ _Take On Me”_

_“Talking away_

_I don't know what I'm to say._

_I'll say it anyway_

_Today is another day to find you._

_Shying away_

_I'll be coming for your love. OK?”_

_A-Ha- “Take On Me”_

A Thursday Evening in Late October 1984

_Dr. Peter Venkman_

A delightful chill filled the air on the spectacular Autumn night that I finally had a date with a wonderfully talented cellist and client, Dana Barrett. Fall in the City displayed the natural radiance of the area where tree-lined streets obtained brilliant maroons, oranges, and yellows, and people wore their light jackets and sweaters. New York City always had a buzz about it, but autumn made me think of hot cider, attending football games under blankets, fall craft festivals, and Halloween parties. It was always one of my favorite seasons whether I resided here in New York or my home north of Chicago.

Usually, I could easily coax a woman to go out on a date with me, but not this extraordinary one. It took me almost three months to do so in the busiest time in our company’s short history. Dana was not only gorgeous, but she was no-nonsense and saw through me like my one serious girlfriend who broke my heart, Bernadette. Janine Melnitz, our secretary/accountant and computer specialist, was the only other lady who didn’t take my bullsh-- from me initially, and I've always considered her as a close friend due to it. I knew I had to use my imagination to captivate Dana’s heart to set myself above her other suitors, which I am sure she had a plethora. Luckily, I was quick on my feet and noticed that I had this one “ace” up my sleeve- hopefully, I could soon solve her baffling god-in-her-fridge problem.

“Any advice before I go on my date with Ms. Barrett, Janine,” I inquired, awaiting her cheeky comment back as I sat patiently in my desk chair with my legs and feet on the top of my desk. I was quite comfortable.

“No, Dr. Venkman,” she retorted, with a wearied tone of voice that indicated that she was not in the mood for a conversation.

However, I knew Janine well enough to know she was preoccupied because of her brief answer. She always loved an opportunity to zing someone, especially me, with a perfectly witty one-liner, and I enjoyed listening to them even when they were at my expense. It was one of Janine’s many allures. Rolling my eyes, I disappointedly rose from my desk and padded over to her desk to see her reading a book on FORTRAN. Today Janine’s pleasant facial features hid behind those huge glasses sliding down her nose. It took me a while to admit since her employment that if she hadn’t been so cerebral, she would be beautiful, in my humble opinion. 

Nonetheless, Janine Melnitz was like a little sister to me, but she was the ideal match for one of my best friends and business partners, Egon Spengler. Her beauty, brain, and outgoing personality pulled his head out of the clouds and was the best impetus for him to enjoy his life if he would only allow it. Anyhow, Janine almost completed her computer science degree at a private college here in the city, and I assumed she read a book about a programming language now. All I knew was it was over my head.

“I know something is wrong because I gave you the perfect opportunity to sass me, and you did not,” I complained, rolling a chair to her desk so I could listen.

“I am fatigued and underpaid,” she retorted drily in her thick Brooklyn accent, tapping her foot impatiently.

"We are all overworked, Janine, because business is booming," I quipped, gazing into her face, attempting to read her distinctive blue eyes and viewing terror in them. She was usually strong and calm.

“What are you afraid of,” I inquired in disbelief.

“Don’t you remember what happened on Monday,” Janine questioned exasperatedly as her beautiful blue eyes narrowed in extreme annoyance, then she sighed heavily.

“Of course, I do. Janine,” I stated, confidently and reassuringly, “ but it is going to be OK.”

She gave me an aggrieved glare that shot daggers back at me and then lowered her eyes back at the book, saying, “Hmmph.”

I rose from the rolling chair, pushed it back to my desk, and anxiously checked my watch as it was close to time to pick up the exquisite tall, lithe beauty with curly brown hair, Dana Barrett. Afterward, I gave Janine a side hug and reminded her it would be OK.

“Peter, it isn’t a joke. Really. Something horrifying is going to occur,” she predicted after acknowledging my attempt to comfort her with a tiny smile.

“Why don’t you go upstairs and keep Iggy company? You will be all alone together,” I suggested, playfully, wigging my eyebrows up and down and pretending to blow a kiss at her.

“Hmmm. Maybe later,” Janine replied, hiding her pleasure at my proposal by covering her face with the book, but failing in a big way. Her bright-as-the-sun smile poked around the book and began to blind me because she was thrilled about my idea.

“And don’t worry,” I called as I strode towards the building's door and wished her a good evening. It was time for me to buy some fresh flowers for my date with Dana and hail a taxi over to her apartment in the Central Park area.

Winston Zeddemore

The Ghostbusters’ exclusive paranormal elimination business had skyrocketed with the expansion in the number of additional cases of ghosts, spooks, specters, and demons in the greater New York City area by the time I had joined the team. Before connecting with the premiere supernatural removal squad in the City three months ago, I did not believe in the paranormal. As a tactician for the military for over ten years, I only believed in things I had seen in person. However, my first bust with the Ghostbusters transformed my opinion quickly, and in fact, it opened my eyes to the paranormal so widely that I only wish I could remove the things I had viewed with them. Not that I was frightened by the supernatural because I had seen atrocious events in Vietnam, but at the same time, this new job of mine was too unconventional.

My employers were a mixture of bizarre personalities that comprised a prodigious group, and with my military experience, I could easily recognize a great bunch. Dr. Peter Venkman, who was rarely a solemn psychiatrist with a sharp tongue but very appealing to the ladies, led the Ghostbusters team. Next, Dr. Ray Stantz had training in engineering and held a puissant belief in the supernatural. His family had a strong paranormal background out of Ontario, Canada, as his great grandfather, Sam Stantz, was a psychic researcher and a British Psychical Research Society member. Furthermore, he found the survival of consciousness and where the "dead were living” to be perpetually fascinating. Sam wrote reviews of various people who claimed supernatural powers or believed they were the medium. At last, Dr. Egon Spengler, a theoretical physicist, was hands down the wisest man I had ever met, and he was the most knowledgeable about a wide span of subjects. He was the solutions guy, the one that the other two relied on to construct answers in the most complex of situations out of thin air. Egon rarely spoke about personal subjects, if ever, and I was pretty sure his life only revolved around his work. 

The guys employed a good-looking petite redhead woman with shapely legs from Brooklyn named Janine Melnitz, witty, charming, and sometimes caustic. She practically finished up her last few credits towards a bachelor’s degree in computers. Even though Janine wasn’t a ghostbuster, the team relied heavily on her management of the business finances and scheduling, plus a slew of other responsibilities. It was prominent that she was a significant part of the organization. She also showed an unbelievable amount of care towards her bosses, although her relationship was diverse and distinct. For example, Janine and Ray acted similarly to brothers and sisters who enjoyed each other’s company. In contrast, Peter seemed to be like an annoying older brother who liked to pick on her but with whom she held her own while employing her satirical tongue. 

As for Egon and Janine, I suspected they had exceptionally fierce emotions for each other based on my observations of their interactions, as they had often seemed to gravitate towards each other naturally. They must have a complicated relationship because although they were in love with each other, they weren't together as a couple. Janine and Egon had an impressive albeit unconventional connection to each other. Sometimes, they would speak in low intimate voices and grin at each other, and other times they would ignore the other like middle school children. I had caught each of them at opposing times glance yearningly at each other when the other wasn’t paying attention more than once. The sexual tension between them was potent, and I wondered if they were ex-lovers or if they just didn't want to admit their emotions to each other for some reason. I felt peculiar about asking Peter or Ray about it, so I didn't. Also, I was not as close as the others were and felt like it wasn’t any of my business.

Ray and I were driving in Ecto One through the City at night, searching for additional information about Gozer and Central Park West apartment homes where Venkman’s love interest, Dana Barrett, resided. First, we visited different college libraries and some more obscure locations with local paranormal information in the boroughs after completing a bust in the Bronx in a bakery on our own for a little extra pocket money. As I drove over the Brooklyn Bridge, my partner was studying the blueprints of Dana Barrett’s apartment complex when I questioned him, 

“Hey, Ray, do you believe in God?”

“Never met him,” Ray answered, engrossed in the blueprints, not removing his eyes.

“Yeah, well, I do. And I love Jesus's style, you know,” I stated confidently. Taking a drag on my cigarette, I thought that comment would spark his interest a little more. I kept my eyes on the road but glanced at the plans Ray scrutinized so cautiously. He and I got along well together because of our easy-going personalities, although I liked all of my bosses.

“ This roof cap is made of a magnesium-tungsten alloy, “ Ray randomly spoke up a little later, unaware that I had been speaking.

“What are you so involved in there,” I inquired.

“These are the blueprints for the structural ironwork for Dana's apartment building, and they're very, very strange,” he clarified, inspecting the blueprints with a fine-tooth comb.

“Hey, Ray. Do you remember something in the Bible about the last days when the dead would rise from the grave,” I inquired.

“I remember Revelation 7:12. And I looked, as he opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became as black as sackcloth. And the moon became like blood,” Ray stated, without blinking, gazing up finally. 

“And the seas boiled, and the skies fell,” I recalled solemnly. We paused in thought for a moment.

“Judgment Day,” we both remarked, with finality in our voices.

“Every ancient religion has its myth about the end of the world,” Ray stated. I thought it was odd for someone who did not believe in God that he knew the Bible reasonably well but decided to save that comment later. There had to be more to his relationship with God than he let on.

“Myth? Ray, has it ever occurred to you that maybe the reason we've been so busy lately is that the dead have been rising from the grave,” I exclaimed, then took a long drag on my cigarette again. As I exhaled, I had a terrible feeling overcome me. 

“How about a little music,” he suggested, shuddering.

“Yeah,” I replied and turned the radio on as we sped through the city silently.

“Let’s go try NYU. Maybe we can find some information about the building there in their local history part of their library,” Ray suggested, “we can call Lucy there and see if she can help us out.”

  
  


_Dr. Egon Spengler_

“Bang, bang!” A reverberating knock on the front door produced a tiny shock wave that echoed throughout the firehouse all of a sudden.

Accordingly, I raised my left eyebrow at Janine when the commotion resonated from the front door and broke the landing’s peace. Swiftly, our hands dropped from each others’ waists as we exchanged flabbergasted glances as our near-perfect moment ended. Without missing a beat, Janine strolled to the door, dressed in a short black leather mini skirt and a black and white checkered blouse with matching black heels, and I found myself exhaling stridently in dissatisfaction. Her gold charm bracelet made a twinkling noise as she moved through the firehouse.

With a strange sensation flowing over my body like something wasn’t quite right, I accompanied her at a short distance from behind to overhear her conversation at the door, protectively. As a result, I felt my concentration switch back to the paranormal and not her.

“Dropping off or picking up, “Janine inquired in her nasal intonation. I could see a uniformed police officer on the other side of the door when she opened it and an odd-looking man in a blue button-down shirt in a straight jacket in the police van. A harrowing feeling came to my stomach like someone held it in their hands and twisted roughly, squeezing it tightly, and I grimaced for a few seconds as Janine spoke to the authorities.

“Dropping off.” The policeman answered. 

“Just a moment,” Janine replied, appearing petrified after she shut the door and strode expeditiously to where I was standing a few feet behind her. I felt disconcerted by the spooked look on her face.

“Egon,” she called distraughtly, the tone of her voice rising a little, “there's a policeman here with a screwy-looking man here in a straight jacket.”

Instantly, I took the PKE meter out of my pocket and attempted to alleviate her concern by using a tenderness in my voice and a small upturn of the corners of my lips, saying, “Try not to fret, Janine.” 

She nodded and peered downward at the floor while I treaded to the door to speak to the uniformed officer. I heard her heels click on the floor as she followed me to the door vigilantly, like a lioness watching over her cubs, and the thought made an involuntarily grin appear on my face for a second before opening the doorway. The analogy was an apt one and described Janine perfectly.

“Are you a Ghostbuster?” The policeman questioned.

“Yes.”

“We picked up this guy....the Police Chief doesn't want him...we know you guys are into this stuff,” he rambled, indicating the man nervously in the van by a gesture of his hands.

“Alright.”

Quickly I used the PKE on the unusual man after I approached him, and the needle went off the chart when he questioned in a slightly whiny voice,

"Are you the gatekeeper?"

As soon as I saw him, I had a powerful adverse feeling reaction in the pit of my stomach again. Some would call that intuition, but I wouldn’t, as a scientist ruled by reason and logic.

“You better bring him in,” I insisted, knowing my plan for the evening now was ruined.

“You are kind to take that man in; you are a real humanitarian,” Janine joked uneasily, putting her petite hand on my arm as we walked back into the building. A zap of electricity sparked on my skin where she touched me. Concerned, Janine peered behind her as the police officer removed the short man with dark-framed glasses from the police van, but I was already lost in thought about our new friend.

“I don't think he's human,” I responded automatically. The PKE’s needle went off the radar near the odd man very quickly, and that mystified me because that had never happened. 

_"What is wrong with this man,_ " I thought to myself and decided to use our new computer software to test his brainwaves. As I analyzed the man's appearance inwardly, the police officer brought him into the firehouse behind us. The odd man sat at a chair next to the computer as I put the electrodes on his temples as I considered the reason for his appearance today.

Worriedly, Janine escorted the uniformed man out of the firehouse and returned with her hands folded across her arms. 

“What did you say your name was,” I inquired as I studied the perplexing picture of a dog on the screen, and then I peered back at the unconventional man.

“ _What the f--k is this?!”_ I thought inwardly.

“Vinz Clortho, key master of Gozer,” the short man replied in an atypical voice.

“Well, according to this, his name's Louis Tully. Lives on Central Park West. Do you want some coffee, Mr. Tully,” Janine inquired, holding his brown wallet out to me so I could verify the information. It was correct.

_“Why is this demented Louis guy going by Vinz now? Did something cause it?” I wondered._

“Do I?” Vinz glared at me for an answer, unable to make the decision himself.

“Yes, have some,” I replied, straightforwardly, without emotion in my voice. 

“Yes, have some,” Louis mimicked my words precisely, then Janine gave me a distracted broad, eyed look that showed a mixture of alarm and stupefaction.

“Vinz, you said before you were waiting for a sign. What sign are you waiting for?”

“Gozer the Traveler! He will come in one of the pre-chosen forms. During the Rectification of the Vuldronaii, the Traveler came as a large and moving Torb! Then, during the Third Reconciliation of the Last of the Meketrex Supplicants, they chose a new form for him, that of a giant Sloar! Many Shubs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Sloar that day, I can tell you,” he enthusiastically explained as if it had happened yesterday. In the middle of the disturbing story, I moved my head to the left to catch Janine’s reaction to it. She gaped at me ossified, and I returned her stare with my own unnerved one. We were able to communicate nonverbally exceptionally well because we were... or had been close... at one time.

“Egon?” Janine requested, crooking her finger at me with a thin-lipped smile from the back of the lab.

“Excuse me.” I strolled over there, having an idea of what Janine would say already.

“There's something very strange about that man...,” she whispered when I stood in front of her a half of a foot as she observed Louis sniffing a jar of popcorn and placed her trembling small cream-colored hands on my chest.They were beautifully manicured as she grabbed onto my suit jacket.

“Listen, I'm usually very psychic, and I have a terrible feeling that something awful is going to happen to you. I'm afraid you're going to die,” Janine admitted, lowering her head to my chest, and I put my arms loosely around her. 

I wanted to console her and tell her everything would be alright, but I wasn’t entirely sure of that fact. As I held onto her, I shut my eyes for fifteen seconds to let myself unwind and live in the moment with her. Vividly, I recalled that Janine and I were dancing on the rooftop under a picturesque starry night in each other’s arms, blissfully. She glimmered under the moonlight incandescently as we swayed back and forth. Unfortunately, a possessed man was walking around acting like a dog sniffing items in the lab, and I felt a sharp pain in my side that brought me back to my current reality.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” I whispered into her left ear quietly so that Vinz couldn’t hear or see, and Janine gave me a skeptical look with her bright blue eyes. Janine was very perturbed by Vinz’s arrival.

The phone rang vociferously on the end table by the sofa, and Vinz jumped out of complete shock.

“I'll get it!” I exclaimed, reluctantly, walking rapidly to the phone, and I picked up the phone; then Louis dragged the rest of the phone over to me.

“Hello? Thanks, I've got it,” I replied soberly, looking up to the unconventional man. Apprehensively, Janine lowered herself next to me on the sofa as I heard a voice explain, “Egon, it's Peter. I have some news from the world of Gozer.” 

Utterly surprised, I looked at my watch as it was highly unusual that Peter would call the firehouse when he went on a date, and only an hour passed since he left. I sat down on the sofa and inquired, 

“What is it, Peter?”

After explaining his interactions with Dana, who now called herself Zuul, I felt more baffled than before his phone call. Something was amiss- she now levitated, call herself the gatekeeper, and barked like a dog. Consequentially, it disturbed my close friend, rightfully so, and then we had this unorthodox Vinz arrive out of the blue referring to himself as the key master.

“We have to get a hold of Ray; I need him here immediately,” I disclosed to Janine, turning my head away from Vinz as he attempted to hand me the lamp. 

“I’ll try the Columbia, CUNY, and Hunter College libraries first,” she remarked, standing up to retrieve the phone book as I inattentively nodded. A little later I rose from the sofa and I followed her to the cabinet where the yellow pages were and advised sternly,

“When Peter arrives, I would like you to go home. It may not be safe here.”

“No,” Janine replied determinedly, sticking out her chin. Usually, her stubbornness was one thing that I loved about her, but I had the feeling we didn’t have time for games at the moment. One commonality we shared was our persistence when we made a decision. Sighing, I gave her a severe stare for a moment.

“Janine, please,” I begged softly, putting my hand on her shoulder and looking into her clear blue eyes. I hoped to persuade her by appealing to her softer, emotional side. If anything were to happen here and she was injured, I would never forgive myself. 

“Egon, I want to help,” she argued, pouting while putting her hands on her hips, emphasizing her small waist, knowing that would distract me because I was a man after all and she was gorgeous.

“ _Damn it_ ,” I thought as I realized that I was indeed preoccupied by her.

For a second, she was happy that I was staring at her, mouth agape.

“ _This is not the time to be caught up in Janine_ ,” I warned myself, even though it was so easy to do so. 

She always had captivated me from day one, and I thought about the many times we laid in each other’s arms. Whether dressed or nude, snuggling on her bed or couch and whispering our conversations to each other in between slow kisses as our bodies intertwined together, it was ideal and where I wished to be now. Recently, the popular song “Take on me” constantly reminded me of Janine and I felt like she was slipping away from me, and it was stuck in my head today.

THUD!

A racket broke me out of my pleasant reverie about her, and Janine gave me a smug grin as I excused myself to find the cause of the noise. Meanwhile, she strolled to the sofa to make her calls. I knew that this conversation wasn’t over, but I felt bullheaded about the fact that she needed to evacuate the firehouse to avoid possible danger tonight. Moreover, I had to protect her, the woman I adored.

After corralling Vinz into a chair again, I printed out the brain scans from his test to analyze. As the outlandish man struggled to sit in a chair for any length of time, she called the first University library, but I doubted that we would find him and Winston any time soon. They were supposed to have completed a small bust, then researched Dana Barrett’s building, and returned. I attempted to elucidate the importance of tonight for me earlier and persuade them to come back as soon as possible. Ray and Winston agreed at the time, but where the hell was they?

“ _Why did this have to happen tonight of all nights_ ,” I wondered to myself, ruefully, but turned my attention to picking up the brain scan from the printer.

_“What the hell is this_ ,” I exclaimed to myself as I scrutinized the printout after I retrieved it from the dot matrix printer. I wasn’t a neurology expert, but I could tell that the stranger was troubled.

“Oh the things that you say, Is it live or Just to play my worries away, You're all the things I've got to remember,” I sang peering up from the print out and gazing at a fazed Janine, who was calling different libraries. 

“Don’t give up on me, my Angel, please,” I thought as she met my eyes after she ended one of the calls. For a second, we grinned at each other and I sang from across the room to her, 

“You’re shying away, I’ll be coming for your love anyway.” 

Consequently, Janine giggled at me and after I gave her a wink, I turned my attention to Vinz. My heart felt like it was going to burst with love for her, and I felt like I was floating on air for a second until Vinz dropped something causing a loud noise.

“THUMP!”

  
  


Peter Venkman

Twenty minutes later, I arrived back at the firehouse, discomposed. I slammed the door in disappointment as I returned, then quickly ran up the stairs to see the possessed man and compare it to Dana’s behavior. I had looked forward to one on one time with her tonight, hopefully in which I would be able to delight the pants off of her, but no, the Goze’ had to foil my plans. First, Dana opened the door looking smashing in this diverting orange dress, appearing loose and unfettered, all of which were warning sides because she was not herself. I think that she had a side of unbridled passion lurking underneath the shield that she threw up to protect herself, and I hoped to discover it around midnight. However, it wasn’t meant to be, for tonight anyway. Dana was now asleep because I gave her 3000 ccs of Thorazine after she writhed on her bed, snarled and howled, then floated over it. Although Zuul’s attempts to seduce me by asking me, “Do you want this body?” was extremely hot, and part of me wanted her to take advantage of me right there, and now, I knew it was the possessed demon in Dana and not her making that demand. When I left her apartment, I was both sexually frustrated and flummoxed. 

“As far as I can tell, Ray and Winston aren’t at those libraries; where else would you like me to call,” Janine’s voice rang through the laboratory as I entered, ceasing my thoughts about Dana/Zuul.

“What are you still doing here, Brooklyn? Go home and celebrate since it’s your birthday,” I exclaimed, disoriented by the sight of the auburn-haired lady. I took a look at Egon, who was studying Vinz carefully, perplexed by him, then I returned my attention to our sassy secretary after checking my watch. It was almost nine-thirty. As a result, I questioned either Egon or Janine about the other two’s whereabouts. Winston didn’t reside at the firehouse because he lived with his fiancee, Maura, in an apartment home near her job in Queens. 

“No, we can’t find them,” she answered, silently, thumbing through the thick yellow pages book without glancing up at me, “ and yes, I called Winston and Maura’s place and even Lucy’s.”

“So needless to say, I'm at odds and ends, I'll be stumbling away,” Janine sang along in a low voice with the radio.

“Aren’t you turning thirty today? That’s a milestone you should go home and party,” I urged, happily, dancing a little. Janine shook her head at me and did not laugh at my movements despite my attempts.

However, I knew that her surprise from Egon relied on her going home and that the arrival of this immensely unbalanced man, who appeared to be possessed, threw a wrench in the plan. Spengs would convince her better than I could because she listened to him, but he was too involved with examining Vinz to notice.

“I don’t have anything else planned. My family and I are celebrating this weekend, my best friend has to work, and Wendy’s at her boyfriend’s tonight. I don’t want to sit by myself alone,” Janine insisted, sulking as she watched our theoretical physicist like a hawk. Silence commenced as she waited to see if Egon would make eye contact or insist on her staying, but he didn’t. 

“Peter’s right, Janine, there isn’t anything you can do here, and you should enjoy your birthday,” Spengler finally stated monotonically, pretending not to hear a word she had said.

“Take on me, (take on me), Take me on, (take on me) I'll be gone, In a day or two,” Janine’s alto voice wavered through the room as she ignored his answer.

I offered to pay for her cab and wouldn’t accept no for an answer as she argued with me. Honestly, I didn’t want her riding on the subway because it may not be safe. 

_“Is it ever truly safe taking the subway in New York? I thought lugubriously to myself. “But owning a car in the city was insane with the current parking rates and the lack of space...”_

To my astonishment, Janine gave up after only a little argument, although she was definitely displeased with defeat by letting out an anguished sigh and dialing the phone for a cab. Anyone who knew her knew that the only reason she agreed to vacate her post was that she was pissed that Iggy for shunning her suddenly. However, it didn’t matter the reason.

As Janine was on the phone, Egon came over to me, indicating that he needed me to study the printout of the man’s brain waves outside of the lab, and strolled to the lab’s door.

“What!?!” After I finally viewed the possessed man’s brain waves, scan with him. It was all over the place, and Janine broodingly glanced up at us after my exclamation. The brainy Ghostbuster gave me a poignant warning glance indicating that I shouldn’t distress Janine about Vinz any further, although it was troubling. It was only because I knew him so well, I knew he was extraordinarily alarmed.

“She is already startled; please don’t make it worse,” Egon cautioned softly, his brown eyes flashing anger for a moment.

“You might have made it worse by NOT insisting that she stay,” I hissed at him, examining the printout again.

“I know what I am doing, Venkman,” he admitted, with a grim expression on his long face.

"OK, thank you," Janine remarked to the person on the phone, hung up the phone then questioned how she could assist us when we stepped back into the room. 

"We don't know what we are up against so I don’t know if you can," I remarked, with a small shrug, and she nodded curtly. Janine bitterly sank on the sofa like a pouting child who didn’t get her way crossing her arms over her chest. I felt a pain of sympathy for her as my plans had been ruined too. However, I knew she had to withdraw from the premises in case of danger and ensure her safety. She also needed to leave for my friend’s surprise to be successful.

As Egon filled me in on the possessed man, I let the details soak in and attempted to make sense of them. Slowly, we then stepped further into the lab, where Janine scowled with the yellow pages on her lap. She wanted to be useful, and I couldn’t think of anything for her to do until I did. Quickly, I snapped my fingers while Egon approached Vinz.

“Brooklyn, did you call the ----- the occult book store on Staten Island or ------- in Long Island,” I inquired. Regrettably, I doubted that our friends were at those places, but it would ease her worry a little. Shaking her head, Janine started to thumb through the extensive directory excitedly then placed the calls. 

“Thank you,” Egon mouthed to me as we stood over Vinz, inspecting his physical appearance as he saw that I gave her something to do, and I nodded at him. 

“Why are you so disheveled,” I asked Vinz, peering down at him with a frown, but the disturbed man just repeated his words, much to my anger.

“I’ll try to give him a psychological evaluation,” I remarked, as Egon checked his eyes and reflexes responses, which were expected, then he hooked up Vinz to the computer. There was a 3d model on the screen of a dog, and that blew my mind right there. My brainy friend nodded at my mouth agape response and also appeared appalled. After I recovered from my shock, I questioned the maddened man.

“They aren’t there,” Janine announced after making the calls and rose from the sofa to return the yellow pages to its’ correct location. Once more, Egon nodded at the information as he removed the electrodes from the man’s head, deep in thought. She began to pace back and forth afterward, observing us examine Vinz as her heels clicked on the wooden floor until her taxi cab honked noisily from the street fifteen minutes later.

“‘Night, _Brooklyn,_ happy birthday,” I remarked, halting my questioning for a second to remove a five-dollar bill for the cab fare from my brown leather wallet to hand it to her with a big warm grin on my face. Vinz was only repeating my questions anyway and not answering them as Egon warned that he might.

"Thank you, and thanks for buying me lunch earlier from my favorite restaurant. I enjoyed spending time with you all. Good night, Peter and Egon," she replied, crestfallen. Janine stared at Spengler, longingly, who was typing something into the computer without hearing her or at least pretending not to listen to her. Finally, she sighed heavily before turning to the stairs to descend them furiously.

“Let’s run the ---- test, Peter," Egon announced as she left the firehouse with a banging of the door, causing him to meet my eyes worriedly.

"You should go," I recommended as he set up the test.

“This test is rapid, and then I will leave. I don’t want to arrive right after her anyway,” he lamented anxiously.

“How did everything go earlier before this guy showed up,” I inquired, helping him settle Vinz in a chair again.

“ It worked like a charm, well, almost,” Egon replied, clearly ruffled by the experience. He gave me a sincere glance, and I could tell that he was distraught that his evening with Janine had been interrupted.

“Plans are made to be broken, sometimes, Spengs. It’s one of those gray rocky areas you are so fond of,” I replied drolly. 

“It was a perfect plan, and if Ray and Winston had come back,” he groaned irked, then sighed noisily.

“It’s alright, Iggy, this next part of the plan will go smoothly. Janine will be eating out of your hand, so to speak,” I encouraged him, smiling.

“I don’t want her eating out of my hand, whatever that means,” he replied, thoughtfully. Egon gave me a perplexed countenance like he hadn’t heard that common expression before, but I let it go. There wasn’t time for an explanation.

Tersely, my sober friend nodded once as a response, but I could see that he was too ill at ease about the situation. Spengler quizzed me next, “What are we going to do with him?”

"Let’s run the test, and then I can give him the same tranquilizer as I gave Dana earlier. She will be sleeping for a long time, and I will call for another taxi for you right now," I suggested wryly, wiggling my eyebrows at my friend, but he wasn't amused.

Egon rose from the chair and began the test on our newly possessed acquaintance. Fifteen minutes later, our physicist requested from me, wryly,

“Wish me luck; I am going to need it now that she’s displeased with me.”

“I have your back covered, Iggy. You said you knew what you were doing. Good luck," I encouraged my tall friend, and as soon as the taxi arrived, he flew out of the building like a bat out of hell.

Afterward, I went to get my emergency kit, which contained a syringe full of 300 cc of Thorazine to give Vinz and then administered it immediately. He fell asleep quickly on the sofa. Silently, I prayed for a successful surprise for Janine from Egon, Zuul to be transformed back into Dana, and the Ghostbusters’ safety and long prosperity.

_Ray Stantz_

Winston and I checked all the libraries, bookstores, and other places that held paranormal information in the boroughs, then ended up at his apartment with his fiancee, Maura. It was about nine in the evening, and both had convinced me to go to a bar near their homestead to grab a drink and relax. The newest Ghostbuster saw that I needed a break from analyzing Dana’s apartment complex’s blueprints and insisted that I joined them. Before I did, Maura called a friend of hers to inquire if she could join us and meet us at the bar. Excitedly about this impromptu date, I accidentally forgot about the fact that Egon needed me to return to the firehouse so he could stun J on her thirtieth birthday. At that bar, the four of us did shots to the A-ha song, “Take on me,” and our evening began.

_“Oh, the things that you say._

_Is it live or_

_Just to play my worries away._

_You're all the things I've got to remember._

_You're shying away_

_I'll be coming for you anyway.”_

  
  



	2. Superstition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On a Fall afternoon in early October, Janine demonstrates her psychic abilities, causing emotional distress for herself, Peter, and Egon.

Chapter 2 “Superstition” (Late October 1984)

“When you believe in things

That you don't understand

Then you suffer

Superstition ain't the way.

Yeah”

Stevie Wonder, “Superstition”

Two Days Earlier, Monday

_ Janine Melnitz _

Merriam Webster defines superstition as “ a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation.” We all know some common superstitions such as the “ don’t walk underneath a ladder,” or “don’t cross a black cat,” or even “step on a crack, break your mother’s back.” In Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Iran, and Morocco, people use “evil eye” charms to defend another’s malicious glare, usually because one is envious of another’s possessions. These charms are usually in the shape of an eye and contain a blue iris. My great maternal grandmother, Pearl Katz, had her cousin, a jeweler, create one for her, and it has been passed down to the firstborn daughter for generations, which means Doris will receive it when our Mother passes. Mom keeps it on her person every day and takes its’ care enormously consequential. 

Since I worked for the Ghostbusters, I learned about superstitions that they believed in. Egon would say that science negates the whole idea of magic and sorcery because it doesn’t rely on observable data and results. Once earlier in the year, he and I had an extended discussion about his rationale for disbelieving in superstitions that lasted throughout a dinner date and a walk around Greenwich village as we window shopped. Like Egon, Winston remained skeptical about them, but Zeddemore also divulged that he didn’t believe in ghosts until he saw one on his first bust.

However, Peter did believe in superstitions because he suffered through multiple bad experiences on Fridays the 13th, such as failing a test, a relationship break up, getting fired, and falling down the stairs. Ray’s family was heavily surmised in superstitions, and he followed them in their thoughts. It would take too long to describe all the things he believed in.

As I told Peter and Ray in my interview over a year before, I was superstitious and owned a lucky coin from the World's Trade Fair from 1964 that I always kept on my person. One day I explained the story to Winston while I was on a break one evening.

When I was nine, the World Fair was at Flushing Meadows in 1964, and my Dad took us there as a family one Saturday that summer. He was a massive fan of fairs and loved to look at the exhibits. That year it showcased future technologies, which was the type of thing that my father loved. Now I realize that Egon was like him since they both admired learning new mechanics and technology and were very detailed oriented. I guess my attraction to Egon made sense in some regards.

On that humid day in June, I remember seeing one demonstration with my Father where a man was flying because he wore a jet pack on his back. He, a man of five foot eight and of stocky stature, stood amazed with his mouth agape as we watched a man in an elaborate white space suit soar through the sky by jet power, and I excitedly pointed in the air exclaiming,

“Daddy! Daddy, watch that!”

Lamentably, we didn’t get a picture of the man because Mom and Doris had split up from us and went to the “Small World” animatronic Disney exhibit where certain characters sang songs. My older sister had the foresight to possess the family’s camera to take numerous pictures of that showcase and no flying man with a jetpack. As a result, I was furious with Doris for taking the family’s camera to take pictures of that exhibit of all things and not of the futuristic flying jet man. In my sister’s incredibly bossy way, she told me off first and demanded incredulously that “who wants to fly?” Wide-eyed, I replied back that I did! Regardless of my sister’s decision to confiscate the camera for the “It’s a Small World” presentation, I still had my vivid memories of the flying man.

As an artist, my Mom enjoyed seeing the infamous Michelangelo’s  _ Pieta, _ although it was surrounded by bulletproof glass. She relished explaining it to us as we passed by the exhibit on a moving walkway at 2 MPH three different times. 

“ In the Christian religion, Jesus Christ is crucified, dies, removed from the cross, and rises from the grave. Michelangelo created this sculpture of Carrara marble, and it displays the Virgin Mary holding Christ’s dead body ,”  Mom expounded.  I was more interested in seeing and learning about it than Doris, who had just turned fourteen and discovered boys. Of course, as a Jewish girl who didn’t understand the significance of Jesus to Christians because He wasn’t of importance in our religion, I asked many questions. So, Mother had to disclose the differences between Christianity and Judaism. 

Also on exhibition were some famous paintings from Spanish classical and modern artists, such as El Greco to Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Seeing Picasso’s cubist paintings blew my mind as it was the first time I had viewed them, and I didn’t understand why he would paint everyday objects in geometric forms. My Mom was pleased by my interest in the art and did her best to explain his perspective. Consequently, I have always been compelled by Cubism and enjoyed its thought-provokingness. 

As souvenirs, my Dad bought each of us a World Fair coin and gave it to us as a surprise later on. 

When we opened the boxes to find the bronze-plated coin that said “World’s Fair Flushing Meadow’s 1964 with a picture of the Unisphere engraved on it on one side, I felt astounded by my Dad’s gift and overwhelmed by his kindness as I was a Daddy’s girl. “Those are lucky coins, girls; keep them in your pockets, and you will always have good luck,” he expounded, giving us a wink. So I did after giving him a bear hug.

Less than one year later, I admired my prize possession while walking home from school and showing it off to my best friends from elementary school. Unanticipatedly, an older boy who was closer to my sister’s age named Blake, snatched it from my hand as I held it up to because I had just claimed that it was the reason I made an A on my Science test without studying. Next, he sped off on his bike as fast as he could. Since my best friends and I were all tomboys, we ran after Blake yelling and screaming, but we couldn’t catch up to him. He refused to give it back to me before moving to another neighborhood, and I was devastated. Crying, I ran home and waited for my Dad to get home to tell him what had happened.

“Oh no! It’s ok, love,” he said, feigning being upset when I sat on his lap when he got home from working a long day and rubbed my back, “ It is ok, It’s ok.”

“No, Daddy,” I sobbed, “You don’t understand. I am doomed to have bad luck for the rest of my life.”

My Dad’s shiny brown eyes took a profound turn for a second. 

“Oh, my little Janine. A coin doesn’t determine if you will have luck or not; you do,” he promised, attempting to console me, but I continued to weep in his arms for a length of time.

My ten-year-old brain couldn’t handle his explanation, although, of course, now I see the logic. A week later, my Dad called me into the den while watching college football on a Saturday afternoon. He was a huge sports fan, and on occasion, I would join him and even enjoyed viewing a few sports games with him. 

“Here you go, Janine, my love,” he handed me a nondescript box, and curiously, I grabbed it from his large hand. Excitedly, I opened it, and to my great surprise, I found another 1964 World Fair coin with a New York State Exhibit picture on it!

“I bought this off of a man, who told me that you will always have excellent luck with this as long as you keep it safely hidden.”

“Oh Daddy, you are the greatest,” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around his neck and hugged him as tightly as I could. 

That was one of my favorite memories of my Dad. Ironically, Blake returned my coin to me when he dated my sister for a short time when they were seniors, and Doris threatened to tell everyone that he was a lousy lay. In high school, that was like the kiss of death, so needless to say, I got my original coin back, and I kept it in my purse hidden since I was thirteen. 

The very next day, a boy I had a crush on named Harry requested me to go to my first junior high dance and gave me my first kiss in the corner of the gym. Now I was really convinced it was lucky! Nevertheless, I took exceptional care of my lucky coin but was also gratified to have a backup.

Late Monday afternoon, I straightened the landing while the Ghostbusters were scattered around in the firehouse completing different jobs, but I was the only one in that area at the time. As I sang along with the radio, I extracted some trash because the guys were so messy. 

“ Ooh, very superstitious, Wash your face and hands, Rid me of the problem, Do all that you can

Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin' strong, You don't want to save me, Sad is my song, When you believe in things, Then you don't understand, Then you suffer—,” I sang passionately.

Suddenly, thick compact black circles of varying sizes invaded my vision as I threw back my head to sing the song’s chorus. First, I attempted to blink them away, thinking that I had looked at the computer screen too long earlier. Regrettably, my eyes continued to observe these strange black dots. Searing pain tore through my stomach, and I felt lightheaded.

“Uh oh,” I whispered, feeling dizzy.

Regrettably, the room commenced spinning. I held onto the nearest item, a chair, and as I did, my peepers adjusted to my now blurry world, and a wave of nausea entered my already aggrieved stomach. Next, I felt as if I stood in the middle of a hurricane, twirled around, and my head started to hurt agonizingly.

“Help,” I called out in a small voice before I collapsed. The wooden floor was the last thing I saw before my eyes sealed after I hit the ground.

_ Peter Venkman _

As I ascended the stairs, I heard a clamorous thump on the floor and quickened my pace, trying to solve the mystery of the noise. Then I saw our secretary extraordinaire, Janine, on the hard ground with her eyes closed and my close friend, Egon, kneeling down near her. His long face showed deeply impassioned consternation for her as he gently shook her right arm.

“Janine,” Egon stated, benevolently yet in an urgent voice, but there wasn’t any response from her. Her eyes were still shut, and she appeared to be passed out, so he resumed his attempts to revive her. 

“What’s wrong with Janine,” I questioned him, noticing his dismay.

“I don't know, I heard a noise, and here she was,” the theoretical physicist of the Ghostbusters answered nervously, attempting to revive her by jostling her shoulder. His brown eyes conveyed a plainly disquieting look when it failed in restoring Janine.

“She seemed OK when I left downstairs fifteen minutes ago. Have you spoken to her today,” I asked my bespectacled business partner.

Although I inquired about his interaction with Janine, I already knew the answer. They hadn't been conversing regularly for months now due to their relationship’s complex nature. Even so, Egon showed tremendous love and care for her presently. Shaking his head back and forth, he took her pulse and called out her name tenderly in a loving manner at sporadic intervals, “Janine...Janine...Janine.”

“Her pulse is fine, and she is breathing,” he reported, but since she was unresponsive, we exchanged frightened glances. 

“ _ Brooklyn _ , can you hear me,” I inquired, patting her pale cheeks and noting that she appeared fatigued. The business had been such as we haven’t had a day off for almost two weeks now, including Janine. Egon’s expression showed the distinct ache of feeling incapable of aiding his beloved from feeling better and also appeared the most worried I had ever seen him.

“Janine, wake up, please,” Egon prompted desperately in a whisper, looking helpless as he held her right hand within his own and squeezed it. The attempt flopped, and he sighed noisily in distress.

When our pretty secretary from Brooklyn heard his deep voice this time, her blue eyes unlocked like a key opening a door, and she muttered, clearly dazed from experience, 

“Ohhh, what happened?”

“We don't know. You were here when I heard you fall. Did you hit your head,” I asked, checking her carefully to see if she was bleeding or showed signs of injury. Unresponsive, Janine blinked several times and then closed her eyes again.

“I will get her a glass of water,” I declared, standing up to go to the kitchen. Still, I mostly did that to give Spengler some room to speak to her alone as I knew that he stood a better chance of renewing her than me because they were much more intimately familiar than she and I were.

“Janine,” he prodded, worriedly, using his fingertips to caress her right pale-looking cheek, “ come back to me, my angel, please.”

As if on cue, her eyes flew open again, and Janine started weeping unrestrainedly. Egon and I exchanged glances while she cried and babbled incoherently. Based on my friend’s expression, he was torn between the emotions of injury of witnessing her so upended yet thrilled that Janine was conscious now.

“Look at me...look at me...Janine, that’s it... breathe deeply for me, please,” Egon directed, tenderly, wiping her tears from her face carefully with his thumb on one of his large hands while the other held her hand firmly. Still crying, Janine did so, gulping some air in and trembling visibly. He maintained eye contact with her and modeled the behavior he wanted to see her perform for a few minutes. 

“And again, in and out.”

“E-Egon, I-I,” she sputtered out, and he shook his head slowly. He removed his index finger from her cheek and placed it on her lips tentatively while glancing into her horror-stricken blue eyes.

“Hush, my love. I’d like you to continue to breathe deeply with me,” he coaxed her soothingly before removing his finger tentatively. It was amazing how they communicated with so much love and admiration even though they were hardly speaking to each other daily. I forgot all about getting her a glass of water because I was staring at them. Egon and Janine were very much in love, maybe more so now.

After a few minutes, Iggy soothed her to where she was not spasmodic, and he persisted in deep breathing with her. His ordinarily expressionless face showed instantaneous relief as she stopped babbling and sobbing as he spoke dotingly to her, his eyes showing pride as she initiated breathing regularly,

“You did it, Janine; excellent work.”

Next, Egon leaned over her to kiss her forehead, and Janine shut her eyes happily as he did so. If I hadn’t been so ecstatic that she wasn’t delirious, I would have cleared my throat as a warning at this display of affection as a joke. Then to make it worse, Janine and Egon gawked at each other while he held onto one of her hands, communicating wordlessly with lovesick grins on their faces that they often had last year at the beginning of their courtship.

“Iggy’s right, Brooklyn. You did it! Let’s get you on the sofa. Are you ok to move,” I probed, gazing at her, and she nodded after sniffling a couple of times. 

Janine took my outstretched arms to help her up. Quickly, I pulled her upwards off of the floor and let her lean on me so I could guide her to the sofa. Janine was visibly shaken and still appeared unwell. As Egon retrieved a glass of water for her in the kitchen, she laid down on the couch, her body shaking visibly. I put a blanket over her body up to her chin. My heart went out to her as she was like a little sister to me, and I disliked heartily to see her upset. Egon also went into the bathroom to retrieve two Tylenol. I gave my close friend a reassuring nod to indicate that she would be OK, but he still felt discomposed by the situation despite remaining calm with Janine.

“Can you tell us what happened,” I questioned softly, pulling a chair up to the sofa next to her, “ When you are ready, of course.”

Iggy handed Janine a glass of water to drink after she sat up, accepting it and the pain relievers, then thanked him with a small uneasy upturn of her lips. First, she swallowed the pills and lifted the glass to her lips, but her hands trembled badly, preventing her from doing so. Sitting on the edge of the sofa, Egon assisted her in steadying the glass by reinforcing her hand with his so she could drink from it. Janine gave him a chagrined smile afterward; he placed a short kiss on her cheek after whispering,

“Shhh...You have had a tremendous psychological shock; it is absolutely normal for you to have tremors.”

Although his verbal bedside manner might be less than desirable, Egon consoled her successfully. Janine put the glass on the end table, then she laid on her back with her hand over her forehead, anguished. She closed her blue eyes, and her face remained flushed as she disclosed, 

“Out of nowhere, black spots in my vision appeared everywhere that wouldn't disappear; my head was hurting very excruciatingly as I was cleaning up after you all. I had this horrible sharp pain in my stomach then I felt nauseated. Next thing I knew, felt like I was spinning very fast, like in a state fair ride, and I fainted.”

“How do you feel now,” I inquired, attempting to figure out the reason for her fainting.

“Shaky, fragile, my head hurts still but not as badly. There's this awful feeling in my stomach like someone’s turning a screwdriver into it,” Janine answered, grimacing, rubbing her temples with her fingers to relieve the discomfort.

“Did you eat today? If so, what, I inquired as she rattled off her breakfast and lunch of dried toast with strawberry jam, oatmeal, coffee, a banana, a PBJ sandwich, a small salad, a bag of chips, and a cup of yogurt. On occasion, Janine forgot to eat a meal, and with business causing extra work for everyone and especially her, I'm sure it happened once in a while.

“Didn’t this happen once before,” Egon wondered out loud, his eyebrows furrowed while he attempted to assess the situation and produce a solution.

“Y-yes, it...reminds me of a time I had a premonition about ten years ago... Three of my cousins died,” She recalled, starting to weep again, but not with the ferocity of earlier.

Empathetically, Egon patted her shoulder gently as she whimpered in a small child-like voice,

“Something awful happened within the 48-72 hours. My cousins and some friends were killed in this terrible car wreck involving a train; they were dismembered. Initially, I was supposed to go with them upstate. I warned them not to go, but they didn’t listen. I rarely talk about that because I still felt guilty.

“Did you see that crash in a vision,” I inquired as Egon touched her cheek with his right hand, attempting to alleviate her worry, and she gave him a small toothless grin as a response to his gesture, appreciatively.

“Yes, and my symptoms are the same as last time, from what I remember, ” Our secretary protested and shut her eyes, then mentioned that she felt dizzy again. Janine also looked feeble, which was also unlike our little but fierce Brooklynite, and Egon smoothed her hair down with his hand.

“Stay with me, my angel, please,” Iggy softly begged, and I could see tears forming in his eyes.

“I'm disquieted because whatever this is...it..is going to be terrible. I can’t have this happen again,” Janine cried, opening her eyes to search our faces and then putting her head in her hands.

“You didn’t cause your cousins’ death,” I informed her after a moment, my features softening as I saw her crying again, “Janine, you couldn’t have prevented it either.”

Iggy looked helpless to make her feel better, and it appeared to crush him as he fidgeted with his hands.

“I’m scared, Egon,” Janine whispered, removing her hands from her beautiful face to view him, and started to sniffle. As a result, he clasped her hand and squeezed it.

“Shh,” he reassured with a small half-grin while making eye contact, ”you are going to be OK. Everything will be fine.”

“You and the others may be in grave danger,” Janine acknowledged to him, finally.

“We are in danger every day at a bust,” Spengler countered, gaping in her eyes for a long time until she shut her eyes, looking disheartened. Janine allowed him to continue to hold her hand as she sobbed.

“This is different. I saw a rooftop, some big white Ghost- thing attempting to kill all four of you...” Janine wept,” I don’t know what rooftop it was or how it was trying to murder you all.”

“Do the premonitions get more detailed?” I asked, interrupting impatiently. 

_ “What was she describing,” I thought to myself. _

“No,” Janine answered listlessly. 

Egon had a visibly concerned look on his face and nodded briskly without hesitation.

“This is just the announcement that something is going to happen,” She explained to us, “it will go away if I sleep for a while, but I will be out of it for the rest of the day.”

“Ok, sleep,” I commanded gently.

“Don’t go,” She implored of Iggy, with a sorrowful facial expression, “for a few minutes, please?”

“I won’t, Janine, I promise.”

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t feel so badly,” Janine replied, but Iggy silenced her by putting a finger to his lips, and she ceased speaking automatically. The magic between those two was fascinating to watch.

As I motioned for my sober friend to join me away from her in the kitchen when she fell asleep, I reminded myself that her premonitions might be wrong and that I shouldn’t be fearful. However, I felt petrified inwardly.

“What do you think, “ I inquired of Iggy, who I could tell was examining all the details in his head, plugging away at the variables trying to come up with a solution like a calculator or a computer. He was amazingly brilliant that way.

“I am not sure. I don’t think Janine has many of these incapacitating headaches,” he responded hesitantly. Spengler gazed longingly at our redhead office manager, who was on the sofa sleeping uneasily. Distraught still, Janine tossed and turned, attempting to find a comfortable position, but floundered as we spoke for a short time.

“Well, keep an eye on her. I will let Winston and Ray know that we answer the phones until notified when they get back. Until then, I will,” I informed, and he nodded once curtly, then strolled back to the sofa without a word. An hour earlier, Ray and Winston went to a neighborhood sports club to shoot some hoops to let off some steam with some friends. On occasion, Zeddemore would persuade us to join him because he stayed in better physical shape than us.

_ Egon Spengler _

When I heard that loud “thump” while I was in the lab, I was in the middle of running tests and ironically meditating about Janine while she sang on the landing as I enjoyed her lovely singing voice. I left the lab immediately to investigate the strange noise, and my flight or fight reaction triggered as I saw the woman I loved more than life on the wooden floor. Rapidly, I ran to her as my pulse rate elevated dramatically and my breath caught in my throat in fear. I knew it was silly to stop breathing because that wouldn’t help Janine, but I froze when I saw her there on the floor before dropping to my knees in shock. There she lay, in her long ankle-length purple dress, sprawled on the floor, appearing extraordinarily pale and cold to the touch when I patted her arm with my hand. Janine’s auburn bangs were slightly wet with perspiration, and I immediately began calling her name as I felt a tightness in my chest grow in size. 

“ _ I can’t lose you, Janine, my Angel, please wake up,” I thought to myself as I attempted to revive her, “Please, Lord, revive her.” _

Later, I felt a wave of relief flow over me as I rocked back and forth on my knees for a while when my love finally opened her eyes. The violent emotional turbulence of the situation caused me to feel overwhelmed with uneasiness for her. I also knew that if something happened to Janine where she couldn’t recover, it would feel like my world was crashing down on me.

Currently, I sat on the edge of the sofa near her feet as she stretched out on the couch on her back, but not too close to her so she wouldn’t scold me after Venkman and I discussed her premonitions privately. Janine had shut her eyes, but her whole expression had pain on it, causing my heart to shatter into countless pieces. My ruminations returned to my life without her in my life, and it seemed bleak. Janine had added zest and exquisite color where it was bland and black and white previously, and just by knowing her, my life had exploded like the prettiest of fireworks during the fourth of July. 

“Will you please stop staring at me,” she questioned, opening her eyes suddenly.

“Shh. Go back to sleep; I’m distressed about you, my Angel,” I responded softly as I wanted to do everything in my power to ease her pain and suffering this instant.

“I can't sleep,” she whined, and then I put my hand on her shoulder, nervously, to see if she would protest. To my surprise, Janine didn't, so I rubbed her back up and down very delicately. My mouth stretched into a small smile on my face as I attempted to comfort her.

“Close those gorgeous blue eyes, pretty please,” I instructed in a husky voice, and she did so with a small smirk.

As I observed her rest, I wished I could lie there with her on the sofa, putting my arms around her, kissing her head, and anywhere else that hurt. I recalled the delightful feeling of Janine’s pleasant body next to mine and sighed involuntarily and questioned myself, 

_ “Would she give me another chance?”  _

I had devised a plan for Janine’s upcoming birthday to persuade her that I deserved one more chance, and I wanted her in my life without any doubt in my mind. Although I certainly did not warrant anymore. Nonetheless, I loved Janine with all of my heart and couldn’t stand staying apart from her any longer unless that was  _ her _ decision. I would do anything I could to be with her. Anything.

“I’m startled, Egon,” Janine confessed again, interrupting my thoughts as she opened her pretty aqua eyes, troubled. 

“Explain,” I stated, glancing down at her with an expectant expression. Although Janine looked alarmed, she kept eye contact with me even though her eyes were watery with tears and showed dread. 

“This...vision.... appeared...like you all were... not ..going to be....successful,” she sobbed in between her words. Tears were flowing down her face again, and I reached over to wipe them away.

“Whatever we face, we can defeat, Janine,” I promised her, determinedly, with a half-grin, “please stop crying, Janine. It is breaking my heart to see you so morose and unnerved. Tell me how I can help.”

First, Janine whispered that there wasn’t anything that I could do, then she wept a little more and curled her legs around my rear so we could be closer together. I guiltily cherished her nearness and noticed that she was biting her lower lip. Quietly, I scolded my love gently while smoothing down her soft hair, 

“Please close your eyes and stop biting your lip, Janine.”

“Egon, you aren’t understanding, you... and the others are going to die,” she whimpered, her eyes wide with terror.

“Janine, I promise you, we will be fine. Now close your eyes, my love,” I reassured her with a small grin even though her premonition disturbed me greatly, and I felt my stomach tense up as a result. 

“ _ Don’t worry about that now, Egon. Take care of Janine, so she knows that you love her _ ,” I reminded myself quietly.

I kissed the top of her head, and the pleasant aroma of her rose and vanilla shampoo entered my nose, causing me to grin. Janine inquired,

“Egon, will you please stay right here with me?”

“Yes,” I answered, and she quit biting her lip. Janine moved her body from lying on her back to her side, and unexpectedly, she curled her knees around my body, allowing me some additional room on the couch. Surprisingly, she clasped my hand with hers, and I quickly squeezed it. Instantly, Janine smiled widely at the gesture and stated, 

“I have to know that you are here, or I won’t be able to sleep, and I will worry.”

Raising my eyebrows at her quizzically, I attempted to make her giggle by wiggling both of them because I wanted her to relax. Also, I was just delighted with her simpering, and she hadn't done that with me in recent history due to my moronic choices. 

“Egon, I don’t want to laugh right now,” she explained, with a frown then a few seconds with a slight giggle.

Grinning, I leaned back into her knees a little and rubbed her hand with my thumb methodically. 

“Shut your eyes, love, and rest,” I directed, and Janine followed my instructions with a tiny upward turn on her lips. As I viewed the sleeping angel, Stevie Wonder sang “Superstition” in the background as I prayed for her health to be restored in full. 

“Didn’t I believe in things that I couldn’t understand,” I wondered inwardly, “We based our whole business on it. Even though my scientific training would say the opposite.”

Lovingly, I watched over Janine like a spouse would over their sick loved one until she woke up, and I cherished holding her slender and graceful hand, pressing it against mine occasionally. Janine’s skin was as soft to the touch as cotton as was the rest of her body, and I grinned joyfully as I stroked her hand.

Also, I attempted to wrap my mind about her premonition that the GB would be unsuccessful and the type of ghost that could destroy us. Shivering, the thought terrified me truthfully. 

“ _ Does this connect to the increase of cases we have been seeing? And if so? How? _ ” I thought to myself, mulling over the questions.

_ Janine Melnitz _

When Egon realized I wasn’t fussing at him, he held my hand, and I was grateful because it was the reassurance I needed. Plus, to be honest, I longed for his touch, among other things. Egon’s gesture of holding my hand and staying with me while I recuperated gave me a warm, encouraging feeling in my heart. I drifted off pondering about him and wishing I felt well enough for him to kiss me. My lips ached for him to lock his own against mine fervidly. 

Despite my well-deserved aggravation and refusal of Egon, I felt my resolve being chipped away as my love for him persisted in growing. The back and forth of anger to extreme love that I felt annoyed the hell out of me.

“Egon, will you read to me until I fall asleep? Your voice is extremely pacifying to me,” I inquired, as I felt his coffee-brown eyes watching me like a mother hen protecting her baby chicks. Occasionally, he would read to me if I couldn’t sleep while we dated earlier in the year, so he chuckled throatily for a second. Next, Egon twisted his body to seize a magazine on the end table.

“Today’s psychologist faces many types of patients...”

As he read, I drifted off to sleep on a soft fluffy cloud into dreamland blissfully until the phone rang sonorously and woke me up later.

“Sh—” I stated, waking up without a horrible headache finally, sitting up gradually and stretching my arms. My body felt too tense, and it hurt, and I still had a knot in my stomach that hurt like hell. Regrettably, I still felt “off” and not myself. Egon had answered the phone quickly, and I felt a chill once he stopped touching me. I glimpsed at the time, and it was four fifteen. I had been out for more than an hour. 

“Does your head feel better,” Egon questioned, hovering over me.

I nodded groggily even though my body ached all over because I was wound up like a drum. My stomach still felt uneasy and contained a dull pain.

“Good,” he responded, uncomfortably, then looked at his feet as she shifted his weight back and forth.

There was an uneasiness between us, still probably because we were so close to each other, but he was definitely distraught about my condition. Although I adored that Egon showed so much attention to me and took great care of me, I wondered how long that would last before he decided it was wrong. 

“ _ We love each other. It's plain as daylight,” I thought to myself, “ why has he been so resistant? Why does he have such struggles?” _

Then I reminded myself that everyone wasn’t the same, and Egon took his parents’ and Uncle’s advice to heart when they gave it to him to help him realize his dreams.

“Why are you frowning,” he questioned, observing me, with his thick eyebrows narrowed, bothered.

_ “Oh Egon, if you only knew what you wanted, _ ” I thought to myself, but I didn’t let my mind go down that rabbit hole. Egon had to persuade  _ me  _ that he wanted me in his life, not the other way around. It was out of my hands as my feelings hadn’t changed for him, but he had to earn that chance with me. Maybe, with these visions, he may never get the case, and that thought devastated me. The fact that I may never kiss or hug Egon ever felt calamitous.

“Nothing.”

“You are an awful liar, Janine. I hate to sound trite and use your own words against you. But I know you well, “ he grinned, peering into my eyes, but thankfully, let it go after a while. We were silent.

“ _ Yes, I know you. You dumped me for science and your career; how many times _ ,” I snapped to myself, icily, unaware of where this thought came from, so I lowered my head and observed my hands. Maybe it was because I felt strung out from my premonition, and my lower back was throbbing severely.

“You were speaking in your sleep for a while,” Egon admitted, with a shy smile, “but it was too garbled.”

“Strange, I don't normally,” I replied, sealing my eyes shut as a random pain reshot through my head.

He cleared his throat, indicating that I did indeed. I knew I would have to argue with him about returning to my desk to work. Even though I felt off-kilter, I still wanted to go back to my regular routine. We argued until Egon finally agreed that it was OK to finish my shift at my desk. 

“Thank you for taking care of me earlier,” I stated gratefully before I went downstairs, but he clasped my hand, stopping me. His sizeable muscular hand enveloped my own, producing my breath to catch in surprise, then Egon brought it to my lips to give it a heartfelt kiss. My heart skipped a beat, erratically, 

“Although I don’t want to ever see you hurt, it was my pleasure, Janine. I want to take care of you... always,” he replied, peering into my eyes with genuine sincerity producing my heart to skip a beat at admission “ please don’t hesitate to ask if you need my assistance.”

Egon kissed my hand again and lowered it down to my waist with a sexy, self-assured grin on his thick lips before I could respond. He squeezed my hand before letting go, allowing his fingertips to brush the top of it first, then he was gone, leaving me to wonder if I needed to have more premonitions of doom to see this behavior in him. My mouth dropped open, and I felt my cheeks warm by his actions.

That was not the last that I saw of Dr. Egon Spengler during my shift because he would walk down the stairs every fifteen minutes and go to his office to check on me sneakily. However, I knew what he was doing. With my head smarting again but not with the same intensity, I felt downtrodden and depressed by the premonition. There was a heavyweight on my shoulders, and I felt like there was a gray cloud following me like a storm on a rainy November day. As I attempted to complete some items off of my to-do list, I found it increasingly impossible to concentrate and ended up putting my head down on my desk.

_ Egon Spengler _

On the fourth time that I checked on Janine, her pretty little head was down on her desk, and her eyes were closed. Each time I had previously inspected her face, the anguish and pain had intensified, but I didn’t know how to assist her. I just knew I wanted to make her feel better.

“Peter, Janine’s still not well; I have been checking on her during regular intervals,” I described to Peter. He was reading a  _ Psychology Today _ journal at the kitchen table and smoking a cigarette. He still had his GB uniform on even though we had completed all of our busts for the day.

“Mmm, I don’t know what else to do than to send her home; I can operate the phones for a couple of hours,” Peter agreed, running his hand through his balding hair, “ Give me ten minutes, and I’ll go down there.” Appreciatively, I thanked Venkman for his assistance.

“Not a problem, Iggy. Maybe I should have sent her home right away. She had quite a shock,” he replied, thoughtfully, putting the magazine down and headed to the bathroom.

_ Janine Melnitz _

While I had my head down, I prayed for the guy’s safety and my body’s pain to cease rapidly. My mind began recalling the dream that I had when I was sleeping with Egon’s consoling hand on my back earlier. His actions lulled me into a cocoon of security and affection, causing me to dream of a time where Egon and I were still together earlier this year.

_ We were at Coney Island in late April before the incident, and it was two in the afternoon on a warm, cloudless day with the temperature in the high sixties. Of course, it had happened before we were getting hounded by the press, and our number of clients was steadily rising before needing the fourth Ghostbuster. It was a beautiful day, and Egon had convinced Peter to give me the afternoon off as a surprise date. First, we rode the subway together out to Coney Island, and we were kissing to the disgust of many of the other New Yorkers on it who were giving us dirty looks. _

_ “Mmm, I adore kissing you, my darling Egon,” I admitted, sublimely happy as we took a break to recover our breaths. That day I wore a short red skirt that showed off my legs because I knew he loved my shapely legs. Also, I wore a white button-down short sleeve shirt with a collar. Egon was peeking down my shirt, viewing my breasts in a pronounced way before copping a feel quickly. _

_ “ What on earth do you think you are doing, sir?” _

_ Challenging me with a sly smirk on his face, Egon caressed the other one softly and, as a result, causing slight tingly sensations there, and I smiled at him. _

_ “Teasing you for later,” he whispered in my right ear, moving his hand to my cheek where he touched it gently. Egon leaned closer to me, where I could feel his warm breath on my face, and then lowered his face to meet mine for a tender kiss. Our kisses always made me feel jubilant, like watching a fireworks show during the fourth of July as a little girl because I couldn’t get enough of them. Now I couldn’t get enough of Egon’s kisses. I recalled that he tasted like twinkies of all things, but I wasn’t sure if that was psychosomatic or if he actually just tasted like sugar. The taste of his lips was addicting too. _

_ “I think I am addicted to you, Egon,” I revealed, opening my eyes slowly after our kiss. His brown eyes were gleaming with excitement and merriment, and then he stated that he felt the same way. Then I drifted off happily for a while. _

_ The next thing I remember was Egon trying to shoot a basketball in a hoop at varying heights to win me a giant brown teddy bear, but he wasn’t incredibly successful. _

_ When we arrived at Coney Island, we had gone by this particular booth where the prize was a giant brown teddy bear, just like the one I had when I was a little girl. My Dad had won it for me because I had cried and cried until he did so. Unfortunately, the teddy bear was destroyed once when Doris and I fought over it a year later. We were playing tug of war with it as we argued, and his head flew off. Doris laughed her butt off about it, but I was heartbroken for days, but I was eight. _

_ After I told Egon the story, he was determined to win the teddy bear for me. Then all 6’2 of him dressed like he would give a lecture at Columbia in his gray slacks, a very starched white shirt, and a reddish tie instead of shooting hoops to win a prize for me, began his quest. I attempted to conceal my laughter, but it was hilariously cute as he threw the ball toward the hoop but missed without coming close to the net.  _

_ “You got this, darling,” I encouraged as he threw it, hitting the backboard this time, but no bucket. _

_ As I cheered him on, I felt electrified that Egon wanted to do something so sweet for me, not that it was the first time he had. He was stubborn like me, and he was very determined to win that prize for me. Egon refused to give up despite his lack of athletic ability, and his jaw was clenched tightly that made him appear even sexier with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his brow held perspiration. I felt so delighted by his efforts that it aroused my desire. Of course, everything turned me on about him. _

_ Egon spent countless dollars shooting hoops in a vain attempt to win me my bear until I finally urged him to stop. _

_ “You have spent almost an hour doing this and way too much money, please, please stop,” I begged, tugging at his arms as my boyfriend became fatigued noticeably. _

_ Unhappily, Egon agreed with a hint of disappointment in his mocha eyes, and he handed the man the basketball back.  _

_ “Don’t worry about it, Egon. I have the real prize right here,” I admitted sincerely, pulling him closer to me, then patted his chest with my free hand, “ your heart.” _

_ “Oh, Janine...,” he answered, stumbling over the words in his usual fashion when he felt anxious about what he thought were uncomfortable emotions.  _

_ “ How is it whenever I think you can’t make yourself more endearing to me, you still manage to do so? “ _

_ Smiling brightly up at him, I simpered happily, and he cupped my face with his large hands. Usually, he would have trouble with his words when he felt them deeply. _

_ “I can’t believe...Uhm...you are mine, my angel. I still...Uhm...wake up in disbelief of it even when I am holding you in my arms. I...Uhm... truly love you, Janine,” he confessed, teary-eyed a bit. With his admission, I felt my own eyes welling up as I gazed into his vulnerable eyes. _

_ “Egon Spengler, I have been yours since I met you; when will you learn,” I replied, sniffling, lifting my face to his so he would kiss me. His warm hands still cupped my face as I did so, giving me tantalizing chills down my spine as I anticipated his luscious lips kissing mine. Closing my eyes, I didn’t have to wait very long as Egon gave me one of those movie kisses that you only see in epic romances like Gone with the Wind or Breakfast at Tiffany’s. _

_ “I have never deserved you, Janine,” he mumbled into my left ear afterward; I could feel a few warm tears come from his eyes as he lowered his head to my shoulder. Egon and I held onto each other tightly, ignoring the crowd of people around us lost in our own world. _

My head snapped up from my desk as soon as I remembered the secure, loving feeling from that embrace, and I felt angry. Outraged at Egon for throwing me away, incandescent at myself for still being in love with him despite myself, just seething, and I saw red everywhere! The torment caused another massive pain in my head on top of the feeling of being “off” from the premonition.

“I have to quit; there is no other way to get over him,” I muttered and turned to my computer to type in a resignation letter quickly. To be honest, I had been thinking about this on and off for a while. However, I felt so reluctant to do so because I loved the men I worked for.

“Peter, I am going home early because I don’t feel well,” I announced, looking at my watch, holding the letter in my hand, trembling. I heard loud rock and roll music coming from the lab I knew was from Ray’s Kiss album.

Of course, it was my luck that both Drs. Venkman and Spengler were descending the stairs as I gathered my belongings. Summoning my inner courage, I stuck my chin out and briskly went to where they stood, talking at the bottom of the stairs, then handed my resignation letter. Afterward, I quickly walked away from them and gathered my stuff from my desk. 

“What the f--, Melnitz? We had a deal” Peter walked rapidly from Egon after reading the letter and glared with his eyes flashing at me, then yelled, “Ray! Get down here!”

Spinning around, peeved, I demanded, “When did I ever say that was a permanent solution?”

Peter shook his head lividly and walked upstairs to retrieve Ray, unresponsive because he had the music blasting loudly from his speakers.

“What changed,” Egon inquired quietly, coming to my desk. I could feel his eyes on me, examining me, attempting to make sense of the situation.

I didn’t answer him.

“Does it have to do with Michael?”

When I observed his face when he stood next to me, it showed extraordinary anguish, and I felt tears coming on.  _ Michael? _ I dumped him a month ago.

“Why does it matter?” I demanded, gazing away from him.

“It matters, Janine. Is...Uhm...it...something... I...did,” he questioned, turning red in the face, and initially, I walked away from him until he unexpectedly grabbed my hand. Before I could think about it, I quickly turned around to face him with my hands on my hips.

“Not everything I do has to do with you, Egon Spengler,” I shouted uncontrollably at him, even though I was quitting because my heart couldn’t take working for him any longer without loving him. I sensed tears forming in my eyes, so I twisted away from him, feeling my grief grow, and I also started to feel very weakly as my headache overpowered me. Dizzy, too.

Egon grasped both of my wrists steadfastly so I couldn’t break free and analyzed my look in my eyes. Although I tried to squirm away free and avoided his eyes, I couldn’t. His coffee, brown eyes had always transfixed me since I knew him, so I watched them sorrowfully. Our intertwined hands brought a sense of comfort to me somehow, even though I wanted to be aggrieved with him at least until he had the gall to step closer to me. 

“I don’t believe you,” he said finally, his eyes searching mine. I knew that Egon saw through the facade I was trying to put on for him to hide my emotions, but I also knew that he knew me almost as well as I knew myself. I couldn't hide from him.

“Ok, then don’t, but let me go,” I complained frustratedly, twisting away from him, but he had a firm grip on me.

“You have had a...Uhm... extremely...traumatic day with your visions and are worn out. Ahem...would...you....please ....Hold off a week...Uhm...please.... before giving Venkman your two weeks notice, please, ” Egon suggested pleadingly. Again, his husky voice lulled me into a tranquil state despite everything. As a result, I gaped at him and nodded helplessly. That was how I felt around Egon, incapable of escaping him because of my deep love for him. Hesitantly, he stepped closer to me, dropped my wrists softly to embrace me snuggly with his strong arms. Our bodies pressed together, and I felt myself succumb to both extraordinary emotions of relief and sadness, and I began to sob onto his chest.

“Shh, Janine, it's OK, everything will be OK,” he whispered in my right ear very gently as his breath tickled the sensitive skin there. 

I clutched his body closer, feeling his pectoral muscles against mine and his swollen biceps around my waist despite his junk food addiction. Regardless of my desolation, it pleased me to discover with my hands Egon’s extra beefiness as I always liked some muscles on a man. I put my head on his chest as I wept involuntarily and allowed myself to be comforted by him, the only man I truly loved.

_ Peter Venkman _

When Ray and I came back downstairs, there was our resident couple, two people who have been in love with each other for well over a year now, in each other’s arms. If they would stop all of their own respective bull sh—and move past their own personal issues, they would be a perfect couple. We watched the two embrace happily, lost in each other as Egon attempted to console Janine, who had a singularly lousy day. Those two saw the best in each other but always without ignoring the other’s negatives. Egon and Janine also showed so much generosity and admiration to each other when together. They were incomplete without each other, but together they were whole, the best possible versions of themselves. 

“Psst,” I hissed at Iggy, who took a long time to look up from Janine’s shoulders with a questioning eyebrow. Once again, Egon’s long face displayed love and empathy for the woman he loved. I smiled at him.

“Take her home. Janine should have gone home after her visions earlier. She’s gone through too much today, and tell her to take the morning off. I will answer the phone in the morning. Don’t take no for an answer,” I whispered.

Nodding once, he mouthed “keys” and then focused on his girl after receiving my message. Before we went back upstairs to give them privacy, Ray threw the car keys at Egon, who caught them one-handed, gave us a smile, and then went back comforting Janine. We crept up the stairs to the landing and played Atari, neglecting our work for the time being. A bit later, we heard the Ecto-1’s car doors slam and her engine start-up loudly.

“I hope he doesn’t make things worse by going over there with her,” Ray confessed, standing up from the sofa to stretch for a minute.

“I don’t think so, Ray. Spengler seems very determined to win her back, and I think if he comforts her, that will only help persuade Janine to give him a chance. Plus, he has a pretty impressive romantic plan for his surprise on her birthday in two days for someone pretty clueless and inexperienced with women. Those two are meant to be together,” I divulged, honestly, and Ray nodded.

“I had always hoped they would end up together, but it’s been a very long road for them,” Ray agreed.

“What do you think about what happened to Janine earlier,” my friend asked a minute later.

“I haven’t a clue. To Janine’s horror, it felt authentic that we were in danger somewhere on a rooftop fighting off a large white ghost and losing,” I answered, frowning, “ I don’t think she is lying about it.”

“That’s a scary thought,” Stantz responded, looking perturbed and shuddered. Quietly, I concurred.

“Yes, Janine runs this place. We can’t do it without her, now especially with all of the extra clients; she is an invaluable member of this team,” I remarked earnestly, “and always has been.” 

“To Janine Melnitz,” he toasted, raising his beer.

“To Janine Melnitz,” I repeated, and we drank our beers in her honor then returned to our Atari game.

“I pray that she is wrong about this premonition,” I muttered as we commenced a game. 

  
  


_ Janine Melnitz _

_ Dear diary, _

_ I am now dreadfully afraid that the guys will be killed in a bust because I collapsed from a dreadful headache, really body aches during work. The resulting premonition foreshadowed the guys unsuccessfully defeating an oversized white Ghost with large black animated eyes and a weird hat. That is all I remember, but it was atrocious. I can’t believe that this is happening again! And to my guys! I don’t know what I will do if this premonition comes true. I will just die—my poor Egon. As a result, I woke up on the floor sobbing involuntarily with Peter and Egon kneeling over me, worriedly. I don’t know what I will do if something happens to Egon. _

_ Egon gave me a tremendous amount of TLC as I relived the horrible vision as I explained it to them, but I don’t know if they believed me, though, as Egon just stated that “we are in danger every day.” Peter did look horrified, however. Egon held my hand as I retold the story, kissed my forehead tenderly, and rubbed my back later on when I took a nap. He even said that he wanted to take care of me, always. Egon’s loving actions reminded me of when we were together and made me furious that I impulsively wrote my resignation letter.  _

_ I never fully recovered from the premonition- I suffered from a headache, my body tensed painfully, and my stomach felt distressed. _

_ Needless to say, Peter was pissed. And Egon? How did he react? _

_ Lovingly, like a boyfriend, he held me in his arms, allowing me to cry, and made me promise to wait a week to turn my resignation letter into Venkman when I felt better. Damn him for doing that. I was prepared to be very angry with him because he put me through all of that crap, and today he acts like that! WTF, Egon Spengler! Now he is my Prince Charming in disguise after everything that has happened between us? _

_ Well, what happened was... _

_ Egon let me weep until I couldn’t anymore at the firehouse, and then he drove me home. Although we were silent on the way to Brooklyn, he put his arm around my shoulder to console me, and I felt loved. _

_ First, Egon made me lie down on my bed and promised to tell my nosy roommate everything while I did so. He also drew a hot bubble bath for me and then required me to soak in it. Afterward, Egon pulled up a chair next to my bed, sat down, and found a book to read to me until I fell asleep.  _

_ Before he left, he whispered in my ear,“ I love you, Janine, and I will always be here for you, I promise, my Angel." _

_ A few years escaped my eyes as Egon’s lips brushed my cheek tenderly before he left, and I felt the special bond between us that had been missing for months. The one of unconditional love, devotion, and acceptance, and for once, I felt that maybe we stood a chance against the odds.  _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback welcomed
> 
> The information about superstitions came mostly from this article- https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2017-01-13/13-superstitions-from-around-the-world  
> The information about the World's Fair in 1964 came from this article-https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56322/20-awesome-things-people-saw-1964-worlds-fair


	3. Under Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Walter Peck visits the firehouse in the midst of all the Ghostbusters' chaos due to their workload increase, and Peter takes it out on Janine. Later, Egon takes a walk down memory lane alone while Ray develops some of his photos from the past year. 
> 
> Warning: LOTS OF SMUT towards the end. If you don't want to read it, it's your choice.
> 
> Please note some events from the movie are not in the same order in my story.

Chapter 3 “Under Pressure” ( _Two Fridays Earlier October 5 Late Morning_ )

“Pressure: pushing down on me,

Pressing down on you, no man asks for.

Under pressure that burns a building down,

Splits a family in two,

Puts people on the streets. **”**

Queen, “Under Pressure”

_Peter Venkman_

“ _Pressure: pushing down on me, pressing down on you, no man asks for_ ,” Freddy Mercury sang through the radio on Janine’s desk as I approached it after our freshest busts. Ironically, it was me and not Janine singing. 

“ _I guess after a year and a half of working for us, our secretary’s habits would rub off of us as well as the other way around_ ,” I thought to myself then sang the next line, “ _Under pressure That burns a building down, splits a family into two, puts people on the streets.’_

“There's a man from the EPA here to see you. He's waiting in your office,” Janine announced, looking up at me through her thick red glasses. Dazed, I felt empathy with the singer of the song about feeling weighed down by one’s responsibilities. Frowning, I peered down at our red-headed secretary, inquiring, 

“EPA? What's he want?”

“I don't know. All I do know is that I've been working two weeks without a break, and you promised me you'd hire more help,” the petite lady responded with her nasal accent in an extreme sardonic tone. I puffed on my cigarette, annoyed by her timing about her reminder for me to search for an extra person to hire, and I scoped out her lovely legs as she wore a short black mini skirt today.

“Janine, someone with your qualifications would have no trouble finding a top-flight job in either the food service or housekeeping industries,” I quipped back when the phone began to sound loud, “ You gonna answer that?”

“I’ve quit better jobs than this,” she heatedly responded, then picked up the phone receiver, _“_ Ghostbusters! Whaddaya want?!” 

Meanwhile, I sauntered to my office, ignoring the fact that I provoked our already irked secretary.

Even though Janine was a superwoman and did two people’s jobs for us, I didn’t have time to hire another person at this time, nor could we afford it after taking Winston on as a fourth Ghostbuster a couple of months ago. I felt disappointed that I couldn’t assist her further at the time, honestly. This g-man was the last thing I wanted to deal with right now, and I wished Ray was up here to do so since he was the most diplomatic Ghostbuster.

“Can I help you,” I inquired politely. Eyeing him up a down, I saw a well-dressed man in a black three-piece suit with a striped maroon and white tie with red hair and blue eyes. As he stood waiting, I observed what looked like a bureaucratic bookworm, and I rolled my eyes inwardly.

“I'm Walter Peck. I represent the Environmental Protection Agency, the third district,” he responded snobbily, holding his hand out.

“Great! How's it going down there,” I answered; in mock enthusiasm, I slapped his back, forgetting that I had some slime on it. 

“ _Ok, I did that on purpose,_ ” I thought and concealed a wry smile. 

“Are you Peter Venkman,” the prissy man inquired, shocked as he cleaned off the slime from his designer suit. This man was pretentious, and I disliked him immediately.

“Yes, I'm Dr. Venkman,” I corrected him, emphasizing the word “doctor” while sitting down on my desk chair and attempting to make the man feel uneducated by confirming my doctorate degrees.

“Exactly what are you a “doctor” of, Mr. Venkman,” he questioned both haughtily and suspiciously, ready to disbelieve anything that I said as Mr. Peck disregarded my qualifications.

“Well, I have a Ph.D. 's in parapsychology and psychology,” I informed.

“I see. And now you catch ghosts?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” I answered, drained of the conversation already.

“And how many ghosts have you caught, Mr. Venkman,” Mr. Peck requested, prying further. My patience was running thin, and he saw that I was zapped of energy from this conversation.

“I'm not at liberty to say,” I replied smugly.

“And where do you put these ghosts once you catch them?”

“In a storage facility,” I retorted, 

“And would this storage facility be located on these premises?”

“Yes,” I reported, using one of Spengler’s famous one-word liners, but Mr. Peck was not impressed with my succinctness.

“And may I see this storage facility?”

“No,” I returned, enjoying the fact that I was finally getting a rise out of this administrative man as his eyes grew wide in shock at my denial of his request.

“And why not, Mr. Venkman,” Mr. Peck inquired, his voice rising because he thought he had “caught” me on something. 

“ _What a jerk,_ ” I thought to myself, eyeing this man irritatedly.

With fake modesty, I opened my eyes as wide as I could in mock horror and rejoined, “Because you did not use the magic word.”

“What is the magic word, Mr. Venkman,” he asked, as scornfully as he could. I thought to myself that I had to force this nosy man to leave as soon as possible, or I was going to lose it. 

“Please!” I declared, superciliously, enjoying this exchange finally because Mr. Peck became visibly more tempestuous.

“May I please see the storage facility,” Mr. Peck asked in an extraordinarily fake unpretentious voice because he felt I was insulting him.

_“Yes, asshole. I am humiliating you because you come into my place of business and start poking around needlessly,”_ I thought furiously to myself but kept my outward appearance cool as a cucumber. As a result, my facial expression did not betray any emotion.

“Why do you want to see the storage facility,” I questioned, arching an eyebrow.

“Well, because I'm curious. I want to know more about what you do here! Frankly, there have been many wild stories in the media, and we want to assess any possible environmental impact from your operation! For instance, the presence of noxious, possibly hazardous waste chemicals in your basement! Now you either show me what is down there, or I come back with a court order,” Mr. Peck elucidated in a long dramatic speech.

That soliloquy did it, and I lost my temper accordingly. All we needed was for someone to go poking around into our entire business without any reason to do so. 

_“Didn’t we have enough on our plate right now? Come on!_ ” I questioned myself, savagely.

_“You go get a court order! And I'll sue your ass for wrongful prosecution,” I yelled, standing up_. 

“You can have it your way, Mr. Venkman,” he promised me in a threatening way and walked confidently out of the firehouse with a swagger. Standing up, I flew off the handle when Janine inquired about the g- man fretfully, but my agitation wasn’t really with her. I hurriedly went to the downstairs door to the basement to inform my colleagues about our visit from Mr. Peck.

_Winston Zeddemore_

“I'm worried, Ray. It's getting crowded in there. And all my recent data points to something big on the horizon,” Egon admonished, dressed in his usual gray slacks, white button-down shirt, and sweater vest. To me, he always appeared like a college professor about to give a lecture as Ray and I were downstairs in the basement cleaning the traps from the morning’s busts. A package of twinkies was sitting on a table next to him, and he paused to open them.

“What do you mean, big,” I inquired innocently as our genius held one of the twinkies out.

“Well. Let's say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. According to this morning's sample, it would be a Twinkie thirty-five feet long weighing approximately six hundred pounds,” he held it up for display as an example while divulging. As a result, Ray coughed violently as he inhaled his cigarette down the wrong pipe.

“That's a big Twinkie,” I muttered, as Egon raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment and took a bite of it. Everyone knew that Dr. Spengler loved his snacks, no matter the time of day. 

“We could be on the verge of a fourfold cross rip! A PKE surge of incredible, even dangerous proportions,” Ray exclaimed in an incredulous voice before Peter came down the stairs stating, drolly, 

“We just had a visit from the Environmental Protection Agency. How's the grid holding up?”

“Not good,” Egon reported, concerned, turning his back to us so he could analyze the grid’s dashboard settings. 

“Tell him about the Twinkie,” I urged Egon or Ray.

“What about the Twinkie,” Peter inquired, quite innocently, his brown eyes very wide open.

As Ray expounded on the situation that Spengler mentioned earlier, and I watched our genius scribble some notes on a clipboard about the containment unit system with a sizable frown on his face.

“What’s our schedule like this afternoon,” I inquired of Stantz and Venkman.

“Ray, go check; Janine’s aggrieved with me already today, and her Brooklyn attitude is showing in full force,” Venkman suggested, irritatedly, “and I don’t want to deal with it today.”

“What did you do now,” Ray questioned, gravely. Usually, Stantz was easy going, but not at the present moment. His shoulders tensed up at Venkman’s comment, and both he and I noticed that Peter did not want to fess up to it. Even the usually inattentive Egon Spengler had turned around to face our psychologist, quizzically, to hear the answer.

“Janine asked if we were closer to hiring anyone yet to assist her because she hadn’t had a day off for two weeks. I said no, but she’s qualified in other areas if she wanted to go,” Peter recalled, purposely leaving details out that would piss off our brainiac. I knew Venkman well enough by this time to see that he enjoyed getting a rise out of people while Stantz and Spengler exchanged agonized looks.

“Venkman, we can’t lose Janine,” Ray refuted, severely displeased, “she does the accounting, scheduling, and all of the books. Plus, you forced her to push her graduation back a semester. Please don’t provoke my little sister anymore today.

“What!?” Dr. Spengler exclaimed in stupefaction and moved to face Venkman very rapidly. 

_“Uh oh, this isn’t good,”_ I thought to myself as Peter’s face and neck turned bright red in embarrassment.

Egon’s hands were clenched into fists, and his jaw gripped tightly as his body language conveyed extreme alarm. The two GB were almost in each other’s faces, nearly nose to nose, and I was afraid it was going to come to blows. In fact, I had never seen Egon so pissed off as I had right now. Now, he repeatedly balled his hands into fists and then opened them almost in a way that dared Venkman to provoke him. 

“ _Ray was very protective of her, as was Egon though for different reasons_ ,” I thought as I observed the scene playing out. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach, indicating something terrible would happen next.

“Peter,” he growled in a deep voice, prompting him to disclose more information.

“Last month, I made a deal with her that I would pay her tuition for next semester so she could work five or six hours of overtime a week and delay her graduation,” Venkman acknowledged, looking fearful as Spengler’s face turned indignant, and sweat appeared on his brow.

“ _Say what!?!_ ” I exclaimed inwardly.

I, too, was astonished by this information and glanced at Ray for direction on whether it was a good idea to intervene. Stantz didn’t look ruffled at the situation, maybe because he knew that Peter’s time had been coming for a while. At least Venkman was smart enough to be petrified by his close friend’s apparent immense anger.

“Out,” Egon commanded, icily, in his gruff voice as he stared murderously at Peter. His voice’s chill and harshness were almost reminiscent of my drill sergeant in the army during my basic training days, and I split the basement quickly with Ray right behind him. When Egon let any of his emotions out, they were particularly fierce, and I observed that he seldom displayed emotion during my short employment unless it came to Janine. 

“Why did you do that? Do you know how long she has been working on this degree? You may have...,” I heard Egon yell as we shut the basement door closed from the upstairs. We could listen to our coworkers’ distraught voices but not their words as we put our ears to the door to listen, expectantly.

“This was better than one of Maura’s mid-day soap operas,” I whispered to Ray excitedly, who nodded with equal enthusiasm.

“What on earth are you doing, guys,” Janine inquired, disgruntledly from her desk, her head craned around her computer monitor a few moments later. I guess we looked pretty funny pressed up against the door with our ears to it, but our secretary wasn’t laughing. The expression on her face was nonplussed, to say the least, and she appeared to be stressed by her workload.

Clearly embarrassed, Ray straightened up first and motioned for us to speak to her after he realized the door was too insulated for us to hear anything. 

“Eavesdropping,” I admitted sheepishly, with a blush appearing on my cheeks, and Stantz shrugged. We walked gradually to her desk with our tails between our legs, so to speak.

“What’s going on,” Janine demanded, her eyebrows furrowing as she caught us acting like little children listening to their parents’ private argument.

Ray informed her that Peter confessed to requesting that she push off her graduation this semester.

“Oh. That. Yeah, Egon’s going to go ballistic on Venkman because he has been encouraging me to finish the degree for over a year,” she replied flatly, peering at the computer screen again. Her cute face showed displeasure as she frowned for a moment.

“ For the record, I didn’t agree or know with Peter’s decision to ask you to do that. He is sneaky that way,” Ray remarked, awkwardly, shuffling his feet, and I realized that was something I did not know about Egon and Janine either- that he had been inspiring her to complete her degree. Now it was quiet again.

I attempted to ease the silence and uncomfortableness by asking, “ Other than that, how’s it going today, Janine?”

“Not well, Winston. Peter told me that I am qualified to work in the foodservice or the housekeeping industries. I am pissed at him after I inquired innocently if he had looked for someone to help me with doing two jobs at once,” Janine declared, pushing her glasses up from her nose and glaring at the basement angrily. Silence ensued, and I felt embarrassed by Venkman’s insensitive remarks. 

“I hope Egon pounds, Peter, into the ground for his comments earlier,” Janine muttered as she typed.

“I think I may be able to help you a little with that if you give me a day or two. A couple of responsible business students interested in the paranormal at Columbia might be willing to donate a couple of hours of their time one afternoon a week if you could sign off that they did so for their internship hours. Would that help,” Ray inquired, hopefully, and I smiled at the idea as it was a good one.

“Maura might be able to come in once a week for a couple of hours, too,” I added. She was a nurse who was a medic in the army, which of course, was how we met. My beautiful fiancee was four years younger than me and nursed me back to health after being shot in the upper leg in combat two years ago. People speak of the Florence Nightingale effect where nurses fall in love with their patients well, and it was right in our case. Maura was a nurse on the night shift and would speak to me for hours quietly when I couldn’t sleep, and our discussions were something I looked forward to each night.

One night before I was released to go home with a discharge, Maura admitted her feelings for me. Even though I already knew because of her gentle flirting, the way her eyes dilated when she viewed me, the form should touch my arm or my shoulder when she spoke to me, and many other factors. I, too, had fallen in love with her, and we agreed to date although I was going back home to the City to finish out my tour in a desk job until the Spring of 1984. Maura, originally from Jersey City, had another year of service to complete and was stationed in South America for most of that time in 1982. The previous year, 1983, was our first year residing together in the same city, and I knew almost immediately that I wanted to marry her. As a result, we moved in together six months later after I persuaded her of my intent to marry her soon. On a weekend getaway this Spring, before my horrible desk job was finally over, I proposed to Maura in the mountains of the Poconos, weeping like a child after we made love in a heart-shaped tub. Instantly, she agreed, causing me to be the happiest man alive. Our wedding date was tentatively set for Spring of 1986.

Joyfully, Janine rose from her desk and rushed over to us to give each of us a quick, energetic embrace. We both blushed at her genuine gesture.

“You two are the best,” she gushed, her blue eyes twinkling.

“Tomorrow, I want you to take off the whole day and come in late on Monday, like noonish. I can pull some favors with Lucy to help us cover the phones in the morning,” Ray directed, thoughtfully.

“Don’t you need me here,” she demanded, frustratedly; her blue eyes narrowed into two small slits then her hands fell to her tiny waist. 

_“Those glasses really concealed her beauty,” I thought to myself, “ Why did she hide behind them?”_

“Yes, little sis, but your welfare is more important. You are too significant to us here,” he smiled genuinely at her.

“Now that’s what I like to see,” I interjected, grinning, “ family working together.”

Again, Janine gave me a high five, pleased with my comment, and I slapped her hand enthusiastically. She and I got along very well, too, and Ray’s act of kindness made an immediate positive impact on her mood.

“Thanks, big brother. I need a break from here, and I don’t need Peter’s sh--,” Janine responded, strolling back to her desk with an infectious grin on her face, “ what can I help you two with?”

“Do you have our schedule for the afternoon,” I requested while Ray dialed the phone to call Lucy about replacing Janine for Monday morning as she was a full-time graduate student and had more of a flexible schedule. Smiling brightly, she handed the worksheet to me. 

Frowning, I studied our afternoon: two class five and three class twos making it a long day.

“How are you Winston, are you liking the job still,” Janine inquired, typing on her keyboard without looking up at me.

“I’m well. Yes, still fascinated by the work. Harder than I thought,” I retorted, putting the worksheet down and lighting up a smoke with my red BIC lighter. We spoke about non-work topics as the youngest Ghostbuster negotiated with his sister about covering Janine’s job on Monday morning.

Five minutes later, Ray was off the phone, nodded, and then announced, proudly, “ It is done, J.”

“Thanks. I owe ya one,” Janine responded, winking at us.

Stantz pointed at the schedule, and I handed it to him. Then, he examined it and put the plan in his pocket.

“Ray, please do me a favor and check on those two,” she suggested, worriedly, her blue eyes motioning to the basement “ We can’t have Egon beat Peter to a pulp, and I am buried in my work; here, or I would intervene.”

“You think Venkman would be smart enough not to piss you off because of last time, last year around this time,” he recalled, shaking his head, “but I guess he isn’t.”

Janine simpered, pushed her glasses up her nose with an elegant finger, and waved goodbye to us as we headed back downstairs.

“What is that all about,” I questioned him.

“Too long of a story, and it’s not mine to tell. Maybe Egon and Janine will tell you one day,” he mused.

Clearly, something was going on between them because I saw Spengler and her yesterday whispering at the kitchen table while eating lunch at the same time. Egon’s face lit up, and he was very animated when he spoke to her. Although I attempted to eavesdrop, I couldn’t, but I easily read their body language. Janine would tilt her head to expose her neck, gaze adoringly into his eyes or simper softly. Egon, too, displayed signs by running his hands through his hair anxiously, changing his tone to a softer one when he spoke to her and smoothing his tie-down.

I described to Ray what I had seen yesterday, and he shrugged.

“Yep, that’s the Janine-Iggy relationship for you. You should have seen it last year the six or seven months before they finally admitted their feelings for each other. The flirting was sickening yet cute,” Ray admitted, smiling at me. 

“Spengler flirts?” I questioned doubtfully, raising an eyebrow, “he barely smiles unless it is at Janine.”

“Oh, you better believe it. One day, you will have to ask them about it, and they can tell you their story,” he elucidated with a large smile and snickered to himself as if recalling a private joke.

_Ray Stantz_

As we descended the stairs, ready to hear an exchange of more upset words, there was only an eerie silence. Winston, or Z as I call him, and I exchanged shocked expressions simultaneously when we reached the bottom of the staircase. The two previously feuding GB ceased speaking when we came down, but the basement’s heady tension had reduced to nothing. I could tell that Winston was still preoccupied with the information about Spengler and Janine earlier when I inquired, 

“Everything ok?”

“Yes, Raymond,” Spengler responded, naturally, like he wasn’t about to kick Peter’s ass ten minutes ago, and I had to chuckle at his succinctness. 

_“That was Egon for you,”_ I thought inwardly as he made notes on his clipboard and deep in thought, and Egon’s usually blank expression returned to his face as he worked. I hoped that he would force Venkman to make it up to Janine eventually, as we all knew she had been working diligently on completing her degree while working full time for years.

“Dr. Venkman made a house call, Stantz,” Venkman stated, jokingly, in a deep German Sigmund Freud type of voice, “Anyway, what are we in for today?”

“Three class twos and two class five,” Winston replied, after exhaling smoke above our heads.

“I will go change,” Iggy stated, walking up the stairs with his clipboard in hand, making some calculations. As he ascended the stairs, Spengs still was looking at it and not where he was stepping. 

_“How did he do that?”_ I wondered _,” Egon never fell. I’d be on the floor on my ass.”_

“Is it true that Egon flirted with Janine,” Winston questioned Peter skeptically after the tallest GB was safely upstairs with a loud bang of the door.

“Spengs? Oh yeah, he had this goofy middle school kid look on his face; I used to call it the ‘Gee isn’t Janine wonderful’ expression,” Peter replied, demonstrating it effectively making us laugh. He loved having an audience and elaborated by showing Janine’s look “isn’t Egon wonderful look,” too.

“I think I have seen those looks on their faces before a couple of times. What’s their story,” Z questioned.

“Too long to tell. Let’s just say Egon’s a genius in many areas, but he’s an idiot when it comes to Janine,” Peter summarized, pulling a cigarette out of his pack, “ and one day you should ask them about it when all of the drama is over.”

“How do you know their drama is going to be over,” Winston questioned our leader and then peered over to me, baffled.

“It’s Egon and Janine; those two are meant to be together. It’s like peanut butter and jelly,” I compared, grinning at Z.

“True, Ray. But I called it the first day of Janine’s interview. Now that’s a good story,” he admitted, proudly, with a large smile. Laughing, I slapped Venkman’s back as we all meandered towards the stairs. 

“Let them tell Winston that story, too,” I replied, chuckling.

_Peter Venkman_

Everyone’s resentment and stress came to a head later that day. It didn’t help that the ridiculous EPA man visited to search for nonexistent problems. Once again, Janine was yelling at me about needing two different people to do her job. Meanwhile, even with four Ghostbusters, we were struggling with our caseload. Plus, with our brand gaining popularity and notoriety, the media wanted endless interviews and pictures. Egon lost his mind over Janine again, which was flustering enough because he was doing it to himself. Therefore, it was awkward between them usually as she dated other guys to move on from him. In some ways, I didn’t blame Janine as she had given him endless chances.

On top of everything, I had an excruciating headache after Walter Peck visited, and I went off on her on a rampage because I couldn't take another round of her complaining about her workload. Even though I knew I was tempting fate with Egon by increasing my chances of getting a beat down, I did it anyway.

“You answer the phones, Janine,” I explained, my blood pressure rising, “that’s your job.”

“Oh no! I don’t just ‘answer the phones’, Dr. Venkman. I do the scheduling, filing, accounting, plus your personal errands. Do you want to start doing those things too?. This is a two-person job,” our petite secretary questioned angrily, rising from her seat with her hands on her hips. We were downstairs in my office having a meeting except for Winston, who was upstairs eating lunch. Since he wasn’t a business partner, he did not need to be in this meeting. I stood up from my chair, and we were facing each other.

“Don’t take your poor career choices out on me,” I countered, pointing my index finger at her because she hated it, “just complete your job and shut your mouth.”

Indignantly, Janine glared at me for a long before sitting down on her chair, which surprised me because she usually was ready for an argument. She usually didn’t back down so easily. Stantz walked towards me, put his arm around my shoulder, and urged, attempting to diffuse the situation, 

“Venkman, come on, let’s go upstairs and have some coffee.”

Ray was a couple of inches shorter than me, although he had a more rotund stature, and he attempted to corral me towards the stairs and away from Janine. Unfortunately for our peacemaker, I shrugged him off and walked towards our secretary, where she sat brooding in her chair quietly.

“Say what you wanna say, Peter Venkman. Get it all out,” Janine stated, coldly, her very noticeable Brooklyn accent evident as her displeasure rose rapidly and she folded across her chest. Our secretary, irritatedly, tapped her foot on the floor, awaiting my answer.

“You have somehow single-handedly dismantled the best member of our team. Now we’re not 100% as a team,” I yelled, my face flushing with heat and my palms sweating. Scared, I didn’t look at Spengler because I knew he was already pissed.

“ _Yep, Egon, I have infuriated you twice today. Are you going to beat me up_ ,” I wondered but kept my eyes steadily on our secretary, whose mouth dropped agape. Her infamous temper flared as evident of her widened, the transformation of her pale face to a bright red one, and Janine automatically jumped up from her seat in front of me, placing her hands on her hips, ready for action. We were standing toe to toe now. When Brooklyn was enraged, I teased her once that she was like a tornado all wound up terrorizing the firehouse with her sharp sarcasm and caustic tongue. Needless to say, she wasn’t amused by my analogy.

“ _This was not the time to mention the tornado comparison_ ,” I reminded myself, even though I felt something inside of me, poking at me, saying, “ _Go ahead, Peter. She’s already furious_.”

“Dr. Venkman, I’ve been doing my job the best that I can. If you want me to quit, please just say so. I attempted to quit in May, but you begged me to stay, remember,” Janine reminded me, slowly, after taking three deep breaths to assuage herself. Her face had turned almost reddish, and her pretty blue eyes narrowed while she spoke very slowly like I was an idiot. 

“ _Oh, she knows that I hated when she did that to me, damn it_ ,” I thought inwardly, my face twisting into a grimace as my head thumped agonizingly. I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I argued with her.

Turning around resentfully, I explained exasperatedly, “not if you are going to demolish our team.”

“What does that have to do with me,” asked Janine, vexed.

“You know damn well what it means. Spengler is a disaster,” I admitted, staring down at her, “because of you.”

“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Egon finally spoke, clutching his fists and fuming with smoke coming out of his ears,” I hate that.”

“That’s his problem and not mine. He dumped me; it wasn’t the other way around. YOU also know that. Why are you blaming this on me? YOU hired me. YOU did so blame yourself, not me,” Janine screamed in her nasal tone, her voice becoming hoarse. 

Like a caged animal, I lashed out at her, but I didn’t care. I knew I was doing the wrong thing by poking the bear, metaphorically, because Janine had made some real sacrifices for us as she worked five to seven hours of overtime a week. Plus, she even agreed to take her last class to complete her degree in the upcoming semester because of our business increase. Still, Janine was disheartened because she wanted to graduate in December. Regrettably, I persuaded her to do so because she felt obligated to us since we were like a family. I promised to pay her tuition for the semester in return as a bonus and gave her a quarter raise per hour. That placated her, but she wasn’t thrilled about the situation. 

Earlier I told Iggy that I would make it up to Janine somehow for pushing off her graduation date a semester, but I had no idea how I was going to do it. Honestly, I felt like I had been pushed out to the edge of a cliff, and I was about to jump. The pressure was too powerful.

“You are fired, Janine,” I stated calmly. 

“What!?” She squeaked in a high-pitched voice then instantaneously started to sob as she sank into her chair. Janine covered her face with her little hands weeping loudly.

“ _Damn,_ ” I thought, “ _just what I needed for her to do. Cry_.”

“Go home; you are fired,” I repeated firmly. I felt like I was absolutely out of control of the situation and my own emotions as I felt my whole body shake in stress and frustration. My outrage was on several items: not helping Janine by hiring another person, Egon’s stupidity with her, our client workload, my irritation about not persuading that delightful Dana Barrett on a date yet, the media pressure, and overall fatigue. The shock of my actions mystified my business partners, Egon and Ray.

“Peter, this conversation has to stop; it’s not productive,” Iggy interjected, still balling up his fists. He appeared to be incandescent but in control until Janine began crying. Spengler walked towards me once her floodgates opened, bearing his teeth with his jaw clamped down tightly. I knew he was about to start whaling on me, but Ray moved to stand in front of us swiftly. Honestly, I almost wished Ray would get out of the way and let it happen.

“Peter, you are jumping the gun here,” he replied anxiously, “ you are exhausted. We all are.”

“Go ahead, slam me against the wall, Egon, just like last time. If I could, I’d fire you, too,” I sneered, meeting his eye as Spengler stood toe to toe.

“Peter, damn it, take it back,” he stammered, putting his hands on my collar about, ready to engage in a physical act. Horrified, I jumped back and turned my back to them as I headed toward the front door. 

“Fuck you, every one of you. I have had it, do whatever,” I yelled, anguished.

“ _It’s the terror of knowing what this world is about. Watching some good friends screaming, ‘let me out’ Pray tomorrow takes me higher, pressure on people, people on streets_ ,” Queen sang on the radio as on my way out.

Next, I stormed out of the firehouse and slammed the door clamorously.

_Egon Spengler_

“Janine, please don’t quit. Normally, we have to decide as a group,” Ray begged, perplexed as I was at Venkman walking out on us. 

Unable to move at first, my heartbeat raced, and my hands were shaking. When I could, I turned to face Janine. She shielded her face by putting her hands over it, but the sounds of her weeping made me feel powerless. 

“Yes, please don’t listen to Peter. He’s mad at me and just took it out on you because he knew it would hurt me,” I explained, stepping towards her gingerly. My heart ached at seeing her disconsolate, and I was irate at Peter for causing her such distress. 

“Come here, Janine, you need a hug,” I offered soothingly, gently tugging at her arm.

“No, don’t,” she snapped when I reached for her, stepping back and tossing her head side to side vehemently. Her eyes flashed with anger, and I felt like a snake had bitten me. Since Janine always calmed me down one way or another with a smile or a hug, I only wanted to return the favor. The fact that she didn’t want me to console her wounded my feelings and pride significantly, and I acutely felt the pain of losing her all over again. My mouth dropped open as I stood in front of a morose Janine, who persisted in crying.

“ _Why had I hurt my precious Janine so many times, and why would she give me another chance ever?” I_ wondered inwardly.

One more time, I reached for her, unfazed by her rejection, and she shrieked incredulously at me _,_ “ Don’t you dare touch me, Egon Spengler!”

Speedily, Janine scooted her chair to where her back was facing me, and Ray indicated that I go into my office for a while. Without arguing, I did so. 

I slammed the door in vexation at my stupidity and sank onto my sofa when I realized that she didn’t want anything to do with me still. Maybe I didn’t blame her, and I began to cry. I felt her refusal of me sting as if Janine had slapped me. Again, the realization occurred that without Janine in my life, it was meaningless.

_Ray Stantz_

“ _Wow,”_ I thought dubiously _, “ I never thought I would see a day where Janine refused Spengler’s attempt at consoling her.”_

Those two were at one of their lower points in their relationship, and Janine was plainly distraught and enraged with him for throwing her away one too many times. My heart went out for her as she clearly was in love with him regardless of his attempts to refocus on his career and winning a Nobel.

Peter exaggerated his claims about Egon’s lack of concentration, the number of mistakes he made, and ruining our best team member. Last year it was so much more prevalent when he was indecisive about his own feelings about Janine as he made countless mistakes and really lacked concentration. The big difference was that Egon had grown as a person during his courtship with Janine, and it was for the better. Iggy didn’t know how to deal with his emotions for Janine then and his work. While the two were together earlier this year, he learned how to do both, not entirely but with much improvement. The other part of that was, I think, that Spengler realized that he needed and wanted her in his life now without any doubt that Janine was actively dating others. I know it injured him deeply when she went on dates.

“ _Of course, this is all speculation_ ,” I pondered until my sorrowful little sister turned her chair around to face me, and I noticed that her skin around her eyes was a bit swollen. She was using a white Kleenex to dry her eyes and sniffling a little. I put my hand gently on her shoulder and gave her an empathetic grin.

“So I am ruining Egon’s life and the Ghostbusters,” Janine inquired, her blue eyes as wide open as they could be, sadly, after giving me a small grin at my attempts to console her.

“No, Peter is exaggerating,” I responded with a small smile.

“This hasn’t been easy for me either, Ray,” she confessed, her blue eyes filling with tears, “Being in love with someone who can’t make up his mind about you, and he is my boss! Peter acted like I single-handedly destroyed Egon. Well, in some ways, he did the same to me. Despite my attempts to get over him and date others, it hasn’t worked, and I still love him tremendously.”

“I know, J. I don’t know what to say. With all of the media attention and so much supernatural activity right now, we are all strung out,” I answered, nodding my head at her remark while she threw her Kleenex away after blowing her nose. 

“Peter really hit below the belt,” Janine admitted, removing her purse from a drawer and removing a compact, “and I am incensed with him.”

She began to powder her face and especially the area underneath her eyes to disguise the fact she had been weeping.

“What about Egon?”

“What about him,” Janine questioned incredulously, “Everyone takes his side on everything and expects me to be OK.”

“That’s not true,” I stated, truthfully, “Both Peter and I don’t blame you for anything. J, we never have. Lil’ sis, you have turned his life upside down in a good way.”

Janine gave me a small smile and responded softly, “and Egon had done the same for me, big brother. This job, you and Peter have, too. But I can’t do it anymore. My life won’t go back to normal until I leave here, and my heart won’t be able to recover from Egon until I do. He won’t go back to his usual either until I am gone from here.”

“J, Iggy can’t go back to ‘normal’ as you say- he’s changed for the better because of you,” I informed her, patting her back lightly. Shrugging, she reapplied her lipstick and then put her cosmetics back up without responding verbally.

“You know that he is in his office upset with himself right,” I responded skeptically, “ The only way he will recuperate is if you take him back.

“Take him back,” she questioned with disbelief as her voice rose to a higher octave than average, “ so he can break my heart again? I can’t let him do that again.”

“You know, just as I know that you two are meant to be together. Didn’t you tell me that you thought he was your soulmate, ” I asked frustratedly.

“Yes, and I was wrong,” she screamed at me in response and then thirty seconds later told me, “ I need to take a walk.”

Nodding, I sat down at her desk as Janine’s pretty face had almost changed to a purplish hue because she was so mad. We needed Peter to do a session with both of them separately and simultaneously, but he was too pissed. I knew that this stress would all attack us eventually, and we would all have a breakdown. For the next ten minutes, I racked my brain for a solution.

_“Keeping Janine here when she was so anguished was wrong,” I thought, “Maybe I should check on Iggy.”_

Rising from Janine’s chair, I knocked on Spengler’s office door and waited for his deep voice to say to come in a muffled voice.

There, Egon sat on his sofa with his legs wide open, head down, and his hands shaped in a triangle.

“Are you ok,” I questioned, nervously coming in.

“I’ve lost her, Ray.”

Of course, he heard everything or at least the last part.

“I don’t know what to say, Iggy, Peter and I have been ...”

“I know, I know,” he cut me off sternly, “I have to prove to her that I deserve another chance.”

Egon Spengler never was so fraught as he had been the past two or three months with our business increasing, the publicity, and then Janine dating other people. We were all on the edge of insanity, it seemed, and something had to give soon.

_Winston Zeddemore_

As some of the Ghostbusters’ dirty laundry aired, I sat upstairs, perplexed. Since I was new to the team, I didn’t have any say in the matter, nor did I want to. I felt very awkward being in the middle of conversations that didn’t technically apply to me. When I heard Janine leave the firehouse crying, I felt sympathetic to her. Once in the army way, before I met Maura when I had completed my first tour, I had fallen in love with a beautiful lady who couldn’t make up her mind about me, and it drove me crazy for months. It seemed odd that Egon wasn’t resolute in his decision-making as he always was for the business, but I guess that didn’t include his personal life. Shocked, I couldn’t believe that this work-obsessed genius had a secret life at one time.

After I heard Ray and Egon gone into the latter’s office, I descended the stairs to operate the phone at Janine’s desk. Luckily, there weren’t any calls at the time. All three of them, Janine, Ray, and Egon returned to her desk simultaneously about twenty minutes later, all calm like nothing had happened, and I stood up to give our secretary her chair back with a smile. Returning my grin, she lowered herself down in it and questioned us, attempting to maintain professionalism although her expression remained unsettled,

“What about Peter? You have a busy afternoon.”

“We’ll go on the busts without him as we still have three of us. We don’t have any evening clients so that we will be ok. What do you think, Spengler,” Ray questioned the brainiest Ghostbuster.

Egon curtly nodded, watching Janine instead of paying attention to Ray. She didn’t make eye contact with him and had gone back to ignoring him. We had fifteen minutes until it was time to leave for the busts, so we prepared as nothing had happened and as if Venkman was with us.

Needless to say, the busts were successful, albeit tricky, because the two experienced members of the team were still frazzled from the fight earlier. Plus, I noticed that Venkman really did add to the group by taking the leader’s role during a bust and directing the other’s attention. The fact that Peter wasn’t there either made the busts take longer than usual too. We arrived at the firehouse at seven oh seven, and

surprisingly, we discovered Peter sitting at Janine’s desk, swiveling in her chair and flipping through a psychology magazine.

“Where’s Janine,” Spengler inquired, looking mystified as to why she wasn’t there. 

“Relax, Tex, Your beloved is ok; a few hours ago, I came back to apologize to her and offered her some free therapy, which we both needed to get things off of our chests, respectfully. Next, I made an appointment for her to get a massage by a friend of mine and gave her the rest of the evening off,” Peter responded, happily, “ I hope that I made it up to her some.”

“Way to go, man,” I complimented, giving him a high five and a smile, both of which he returned, “Now that’s class.”

“Janine deserves it after you went off on her earlier, especially when you were upset with me and took it off on her,” Egon quipped sharply as his brown eyes flashed anger at Peter.

“Yes, you are right, Iggy. I have been resentful with you for fucking up with her so badly that you are both completely out of sorts,” Peter agreed, and he rose from his chair. 

Venkman strode over to Spengler out of the blue and then apologized for his comments earlier, offering his hand out for the tallest GB to shake as a peace offering. Egon glared at Pete for a second but rapidly shook his hand with a small smile. Then he mumbled something quietly to Venkman about talking to him later privately about Janine.

“ I’m sorry, Spengs. I had just lost it after that EPA buffoon, Walter Peck, was looking for trouble earlier,” he admitted before apologizing to Ray and then to me. I didn’t feel like I deserved one and told him so.

“Maybe, but we are all close like family here. Usually, we don’t have blowouts like that one.” 

“Ok, then I accept,” I answered, shaking his hand. Peter asked me about the busts, and I began to tell him after our brainiac spoke, clearly lost in thought,

“As Ray said earlier, we are all under an immense amount of pressure with our caseload though I wish I could figure out the reason there are so many spirits around right now.”

“ _This is ourselves under pressure, under pressure, pressure_ ,” the band Queen sang on the radio in the background indicating the pulse of the Ghostbusters as they did.

_Egon Spengler_

After completing some paperwork for our business regarding September’s busts and showering, I came across some pictures that Ray was sorting on the kitchen table into piles and watching the Yankees lose to the Red Sox at home again for the second day in a row. 

“Stupid Yanks, why do I even watch them,” the youngest GB asked rhetorically as I sat down with a notepad, taking a break from working on my latest experiment.

We had ordered some Chinese take-out, and I was working on eating some of the leftovers. Peter was on a date, and Winston had left for the day, so it was just the two of us. 

“How are the Indians doing,” he inquired of me, handing me a big stack of photos of Janine and me to scour through. Sighing heavily, I took the pictures and felt weary about looking through them. 

“I am not sure,” I answered, studying the first picture. Ray referred to the Cleveland Indians and knew that my Dad, brother, and I occasionally went to the games as I grew up. Watching baseball with them was OK, and I didn’t mind the statistics of the sport. 

“These are from the end of last year, so you may not have seen them,” Ray informed me, lightening up a cigarette, “ I was going to give them to you earlier this year, but...”

Stantz’s voice trailed off, indicating that Janine and I had broken up. The first few photos were of Janine and me after I confessed that I was in love with her for the first time on a snowy day in December. Little did we know we had an audience who witnessed the whole scene as we kissed fervently after I begged her not to go, and Peter and Ray hollered encouragement and clapped loudly. Of course, we didn’t hear anything because we were too busy engaged in a series of fiery kisses, each more zealous than the one last.

A picture of us wrapped up in each other's arms snuggly, eyes closed, deep in one of the most inflamed kisses that I had ever been involved in caused me to remember the profuse happiness that I felt that Janine didn’t run out. The deep-rooted love that I felt for her in my heart brought by the pleasant memory produced tears in my eye that I attempted to conceal from Ray, and my heart tinged in pain vigorously. I took my dark circular frames off my face to wipe my tears away with my hand and quickly put them back. 

Next, a picture was one of us holding hands going back to my office with broad smiles on our faces like we had won the lottery, and in a way, we had with the prize our love for each other. I recalled what happened afterward when we made it to my office.

_Janine shut the door closed tightly, closed the blinds, and turn the door’s lock with a seductive smile on her face as I went to the sofa shivering from the cold. She meandered to where I sat, removing her jacket and her snow boots, then sat on my lap, and I pulled her as close to me as she would go. Next, I planted a very sensual kiss on her lips as she felt my chest through my shirt then wrapped her arms around my neck._

_“I will warm you up, Dr. Spengler, “ Janine whispered up to me afterward, her eyes twinkling like stars in the night sky, and I grinned mischievously at her before crushing her lips with my own for another impassioned kiss. We kissed and fondled each other through the clothing as foreplay, thoroughly enjoying our time together as it had been a couple of months, and we both had hungered for each other. Janine’s groaning and moaning only intensified as I reached down her leggings and to the area between her legs, desiring to give her pleasure._

_“ I want you so badly,” I admitted, revealing my vulnerability in her ear first, then I nibbled her earlobe as I rubbed her genitals through her leggings._

_My fingers began pulling at the top of her leggings, removing them gradually, revealing her creamy skin as she kissed me deeply with her tongue. Afterward, my Angel moaned delightfully agonized,_

_“Ohhh, Egon. I want you too, but our first time together isn’t going to be in your office, darling.”_

“Iggy, did you hear me?” 

“Huh,” I questioned him, lost in my daydream. I suddenly sat up and found myself at the kitchen table with Ray, and not with Janine clad, only in a dress and her matching panties on my sofa. My business partner studied my blank expression curiously.

_“Shit!”_ I thought to myself, noting my aroused manhood _._

“Don’t worry; you two are meant to be together. It will all work out,” he said, picking up a stack of photos and shuffling them like cards.

Nodding, I let myself wander back into the dream.

_“No, I don’t want it to be here either, my love, but there are other things we can do,” I suggested, raising my eyebrow._

_“ I like the way you think.”_

_Before I could speak, she squeezed my erect penis with her right hand and then used both hands to unbutton my pants. Janine’s eyes met mine as she pulled them down and used both to fondle my aroused sex carefully._

_“Ohh, mmmm,” she said, seductively licking her lips, “ you are so big, Egon!”_

_“Ahhh,” I sighed as she began to stroke my thick shaft slowly at first, then more speedily, causing my breath to increase. She watched my face as I became more and more aroused then kissed my lips. I returned it with one of my own, using my tongue to stimulate her, and then she used her fingertips to tease my head by lightly touching it. A bit of cum erupted from my opening, and she used that to stroke me harder and faster again._

_“Wait,” I said, panting, “I have an idea.”_

Regrettably, Ray kept requiring my attention so that I couldn’t finish the memory, but it was probably for the best as it was about to be X-rated. I vowed to bring that memory back to bedtime when I was alone.

As a result, I exhaled deeply and focused on the next picture, which was us eating lunch together side by side with me leaning down to kiss her cheek with Janine smiling her million-watt bright smile at me. Fondly, I caressed her cheek in the photo remembering her skin’s softness and how that smile always brightened the room. Another sharp pain stabbed at my heart, and I wondered if it was a good idea to continue to view the photos. 

“ _Too late, Spengler,”_ I said, flipping to the next one.

Next, we were dressed in formal wear, she a sparkly off-the-shoulder sequined gold floor-length dress and me in a tux. We were going to a classical music concert after eating dinner at the hotel we stayed at overnight. After the show, we spent the night together for the first time and made love. New fresh tears filled my eyes, and I took off my glasses to wipe them quickly as I didn’t want to think about how magical that night was with her.

Instead, I analyzed the picture and Janine’s beauty. Gold was a stunning color on her and made her shine like a ring. 

“Like she needed more of that,” I thought, smiling. Janine was as luminous as the stars in the night sky, and it always drew me to her. Flipping the picture, I saw the four of us plus Rays date and one of Peter’s girlfriends at our Pre New Year Eves party. Janine looked fabulous, of course, and stood in front of me with her arms wrapped around mine, which was around her waist. We were sublimely happy, and I remember her persuading me to stand in Times Square with everyone else in New York at midnight. She insisted that since I was from Cleveland, I had to do this, most especially since I lived here for ten years without going. Personally, I didn’t give a damn about seeing the ball drop, but I loved being with Janine, so I did it. The best party of the evening was counting down with the infectiously energetic crowd and watching my Angel’s face light up excitedly.

After we got to zero, I grabbed her tightly and kissed her like there wasn’t any tomorrow. 

_“Happy new year; I love you to the moon and back, Egon,” she whispered up to me._

_“Happy new year, my angel; I love you. I’m so ecstatic I get to be here with you,” I confessed, honestly. Janine kissed me again, pressing her heavily jacketed body against mine, then shivered from the cold._

_“ I told you that you would enjoy coming here,” Janine teased me, her breath visible from the cold as she jumped up and down to keep herself warm. I chuckled at her._

_“You were right,” I agreed, grabbing her arm and kissing her soft lips quickly, “let’s go home and warm up.”_

Back in my current reality, I felt the shiver from the magic of our kiss travel down my spine and sighed heavily. Finally, the last picture was one of us in January when we were at a science lecture at the American Museum of Natural History with Ray. He took a picture of us examining an engineering challenge where I was explaining to her how to work. I asked Stantz if I could keep the images, and he agreed. Then I put them into my room in a drawer where I had other pictures, except for the picture of us in our formal wear, and kept that picture to where I could see it from my bed. I wanted to be able to view Janine from it.

In the lab alone sometime after midnight, I recalled the memory of Janine and me alone in my office after we declared our love for each other in December. Ray was asleep, and Peter wasn’t back from his date yet. As I laid down on the sofa, I unzipped my pants and pulled my penis out of my underwear. Shutting my eyes, I imagined us back on the couch in the nude lying with me on top of her, each fondling the other’s body in a teasing yet compelling manner while kissing each other feverishly. I recalled every curve of her voluptuous body from the top of Janine’s body down to her feet. I soon stroked my penis from the shaft to the head and thought about the rest of the afternoon.

_“You are so naughty, Dr. Spengler,” Janine replied with a sultry smile after I suggested we do a variation of the sixty-nine position, so we were both receiving and giving sexual pleasure at the same time. I raised my left eyebrow as a result, and she kissed me as an affirmative response then laid on her side with a dazzling smile on her face. As I positioned myself over her womanly parts, Janine gently kissed my inner thighs up to my ball sack and cock._

_“Ohh, baby, that feels so... unbelievable,” I groaned._

_Next, she clasped my erection firmly and brought it down to her sensual mouth, where she began to lick it very gradually from the bottom all the way to the top and down the other side. With sinful pleasure, I moaned gutturally and began to alternate nibbling and kissing her inner thighs until my mouth was in between her legs, where eagerly I licked her labia slowly like an ice cream cone teasing her with my tongue. Janine arched her back into the sofa, throwing her head back for a second, groaning hedonistically before using the tip of her tongue to trace circles on my penis, causing me to moan her beautiful name again and again huskily._

_As I bit down gently on her clit, Janine called my name out breathlessly, “Egon,” and writhed on the sofa, happily. She placed her lips on the tip of my head and sucked it noisily._

“Ohhh,” I moaned, biting my bottom lip, imagining that she was next to me, sucking my penis as I was about ready to erupt, “ Ohh, baby, yes! I need you, Janine.”

_Meanwhile, Janine was shaking slightly with her upcoming orgasm in my memory as I put two fingers inside her._

_“You are so wet, Janine, mmm. I love that you are ready for me, baby,” I mentioned excitedly, prepared to tease her with some more licking. Instead, I moved my index and middle fingers in and out as she swallowed more of my cock in her throat, deeply._

_“Ohhhh, God!” Janine shouted, releasing my penis from her lush mouth for a second as I quickly moved my fingers to please her further._

Remembering how much I loved the feel of her trembling under my touch, I started to shudder as I closed my eyes, enjoying the glorious feeling. I recalled Janine persisted in moaning in her soft voice, which became much louder as she came closer to her orgasm and began to use her nimble hands to pleasure me.

_“Egon... I can’t hold...on...much...longer..”_

_“Same,” I growled, feeling empowered by knowing she was about to cum by my actions, “I want you to come for me, Janine, baby.”_

_She sighed loudly as I began finger fucking her more rapidly as she started going down on me with my dick at the back of her throat, making it feel more enthralling. Janine came first, and I did shortly after her, both yelling each other’s names as we reached the apex of our delight._

After I succumbed to my orgasm, I gradually opened my eyes to see that I was in the lab and not in my office with a warm and glowing from post-orgasm bliss Janine, naked in my arms, snoozing with a beaming grin on her lips. Instead, I felt cold and alone.

It wasn’t the sex I missed; it was the intimacy, but so much more, too. I longed to feel Janine’s tender touch on my skin, to hear her laughter, charm, and sassiness, and to view the way she looked in the morning when she woke up. It was also the way she said my name or how her voice sounded when she stated she loved me, the way she would run her fingers through my hair, the twinkle in her eye, and the whole package that was Janine Melnitz. My brain recalled how she refused to let me console her earlier, and to my dismay, I began crying because her action wounded me deeply. Again, Freddy Mercury sang.

“Can’t we give love one more chance, 

Can’t we give love one more chance,

This is ourselves under pressure.” 

  
  


Janine Melnitz

Dr. Peter Venkman could be a real class act when he wanted and show great maturity, too. Although these were not characteristics that I wouldn’t always attribute to him, he displayed them today. Peter shocked me by apologizing for his outburst by handing me a bouquet of beautiful yellow roses while I was in the middle of doing some accounting work.

“Janine, I am extremely regretful for all of my false accusations, taking my bad mood out on you, and asking you to push one of your biggest accomplishments off a semester. I behaved very poorly earlier and would like to ask for your forgiveness. I consider you like a sister and value your contributions to the company and you as a person. I am very sorry for causing you so much stress,” Peter confided earnestly, handing me the flowers much to my surprise.

I felt tears fill my eyes as I attempted to find words to respond to this unexpected kind gesture from him. 

“Speechless? Must be one of the first times ever,” he joked nervously as I took the flowers and brought them to my nose to inhale their lovely aroma. I still couldn’t speak, but I rose from my chair with my beautiful flowers indicating friendship by their color, to thank him with a hug. As I came around my desk, a tear or two came across my cheeks, and then I gave him a quick sisterly embrace.

“Thank you,” I whispered up to him afterward, sniffing my flowers again with their scent producing a wide grin on my face.

“You are welcome, Janine. Would you please put the answering machine on and save the work you are completing on the computer so we could speak privately in my office,” Peter questioned sincerely.

“Of course,” I replied, bringing the flowers with me.

We spoke about numerous topics, including his poor professional behavior from earlier, but also about Egon. Peter divulged that he had continuously been anguished with Egon’s choice to throw me, in his words, “the best thing that has happened to him,” away despite the endless chances I had given him. Also, he admitted that it must have been exceedingly a challenge for me to work with Egon. I revealed that my feelings hadn’t changed for him despite my attempts to move on, and I doubt they would. Then we spoke about what happened between us a month earlier as our interactions had grown more flirtatious for a short while but then seemed to cool off again.

“ Even after everything this summer, Egon can’t make up his mind about me, Pete,” I replied tearfully. 

Venkman spent a great while attempting to dissuade me of my thoughts but to no avail. Then he gave me the evening off and made an appointment for a Swedish massage from a friend of his in a day spa a few blocks away. Again, I thanked him for the heart-to-heart talk, the flowers, the evening off, and the massage. I told him that I felt very appreciated, and Peter acknowledged it with a slight nod then reminded me that I had an appointment in twenty minutes with an impish grin.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is always welcome.


	4. It's All That I Can Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Labor Day Weekend 1984. Janine drinks too much after her shift on Saturday night after a bad date and goes back to the Firehouse to confront Egon.

_ Chapter 4 “It’s All I Can Do (September 1, 1984, Saturday night, A Month Earlier) _

_ “O _ _ ne too many times _

_ I fell over you _

_ Once in a shadow _

_ I finally grew _

_ And once in a night _

_ I dreamed you were there. _

_ I canceled my flight. _

_ From going nowhere _

_ It's all I can do _

_ To keep waiting for you. _

_ It's all I can do _

_ It's all I can do.” _

_ The Cars- “It’s All I Can Do” _

  
  


_ Janine Melnitz _

After my shift, I walked to the nearest neighborhood bar to meet Todd for a drink before viewing a movie, and it was nine in the evening on the Saturday of the long Labor Day weekend holiday. It was hot outside, but not too humid where I was dripping with sweat when I entered the building. Searching around, I looked for my date around the pool tables, the stage where a band was setting up, some tables in the back until I saw him at the bar. Todd was a successful real estate agent in the boroughs and about my former lover’s height but with sandy brown hair, piercing green eyes, and a medium build. He was a good-looking man with a Southern charm and manners even though he was from upstate. For example, he would always open doors for me, push my seat in for me after I sat down, and always treated others courteously. I had also seen Todd go out of his way to help people in need, such as carrying groceries bags for an elderly neighbor on a weekly basis, and I liked that about him.

Like a ton of bricks, it dawned on me that this was the same neighborhood bar that Egon and I shared our first kiss almost a year ago. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach as I remembered our kiss while the Cars’ song “It’s All I Can Do” blasted melodiously from the jukebox,

“ One too many times/I twisted the gate/When I was crazy/I thought you were great/It's all I can do/

To keep waiting for you/It's all I can do/It's all I can do. ”

_ Egon tentatively brushed his lips against my own at first, possibly out of trepidation of my rejection. Even though I was the one who mentioned that he owed me a kiss because of that stupid taxi arriving at an inopportune moment the night we all played poker. His lips felt soft, and I felt myself shiver a little when he pressed them lightly against mine quickly for a short tender kiss. Next, with confidence, Egon claimed my lips for his own again and again ardently, and I reciprocated with equal intensity. As we osculated, I felt the thrill of going down the largest loop on a roller coaster, and as we dated, it never ceased. Ever. _

  
  


The memory lived so vividly in my mind that I could almost feel his lips pressed against mine passionately, and without realizing it, I had stopped striding to the bar. Stubbornly, I decided to have amnesia about the fact that I flirted with Egon by making him take his tie off and unbutton his shirt down to his heart that night or that we danced to a Ramones cover band. Furthermore, I certainly didn’t remember when he finally leaned down to kiss me after I reminded him that he still owed me one after losing at poker. A couple bumped into me as I ceased my movement, caught in my pleasant reverie,mumbling to myself,

“ _ At that time, I thought I’d never kiss Egon Spengler at that point, _ ” _ And so much has happened since then.” _

“Janine! Over here!”

Todd called me over with a cute grin on his face and I strolled over there with a smile on my face. Wendy and I had met him and a friend of ours at a local health club as we waited for a racquetball court a few weeks ago, and he and I had exchanged numbers. I was very reluctant to do so with the recent emotional trauma I had suffered with Egon, but my roommate insisted, so I did. As a result, Todd and I played a couple of racquetball games together and grabbed a bite to eat afterward for our first date. I cautioned him that I was recovering from a breakup so that he wouldn’t get his hopes up at first. However, surprisingly, I did enjoy spending time with him because it kept Egon and my senior research paper off of my mind. Regrettably, it only worked for a little while anyway until Todd kissed me on the third date when I realized that I didn’t feel the same intense feelings and passion for him as Egon. 

As I approached the bar, there Todd was dressed in a brown sports blazer with a white button-down shirt and khaki pants, speaking to the young bartender. He was a good-looking man and a nice guy. Sighing, I touched my gold charm bracelet on my left arm, tracing the shape of the small sapphire heart outline with my index fingers, edgily.

“ _ Just not for me _ ,” I thought, sadly as I knew Egon held the place in my heart that Todd could never replace.

Sitting on the stool next to him, I greeted him cheerfully, “Hey Todd! Sorry I am a little late.”

“You aren’t, but if you were, I would wait forever for you, Janine. How was your day,” Todd inquired, searching my face both inquisitively and anxiously. I simpered at his compliment.

“Busy. And yours,” I questioned, giving my date another grin, but I gazed around the bar where I recalled dancing joyfully and carefree with Egon. It was so much fun. Todd asked if I wanted a glass of red wine, and I nodded.

_ “Egon,”  _ I thought,  _ “Why won’t my feelings go away for him?” _

Scatterbrained, I answered Todd’s questions and accepted the bartender’s glass of wine to drink. I felt angry that when I was with him, all I could think of was Egon. My mind also recalled the fiery passion when we kissed throughout the night.

“Cheers.” 

Todd glimpsed at me suspiciously, his green eyes slightly narrowed because he knew I wasn’t paying attention. When he touched his beer bottle to my glass, causing a “clinking” noise, it caught me unaware as I recalled the happiness kissing Egon always produced in me when we were together. A frown instantly formed on my face, and to cover it; I took a large gulp from my wine glass. I thought I was doing an excellent job of it, but I was mistaken.

“ _ Stupid Egon Spengler, doesn't he realize what we have...had _ ,” I questioned myself, irked. Meanwhile, I avoided him as much as possible at the firehouse since the incident with Victor. At present, Todd concluded speaking, but I didn't notice right away because I was lost in thought about the theoretical physicist in the sexy white lab coat that I loved. While I sipped my wine, suddenly he inquired, 

“How long have you been in love with him?”

“Wha- wha-what,” I replied, startled by the question, almost spitting the wine in my mouth all over him, but luckily, I covered my mouth before that disaster occurred. I grabbed a napkin off the bar to wipe my mouth when Todd continued with a knowing smile on his thin lips,

“Come on, Janine, I don’t know you very well, but it is crystal clear.”

Annoyed, I put one hand on my right hip and demanded, “Who are you talking about?”

“Well, I didn’t know who it was until Thursday, but you are nowhere over Dr. Spengler,” he remarked, appearing to be more relaxed as the conversation persisted. Drinking a large sip, I felt chagrined then placed the glass on the bar.

Incredulously, I feigned ignorance but didn’t say anything else as he peered at me. Promptly, I evaded his pretty eyes as he admitted,

“You are in love with him, Janine. That’s why I don’t stand a chance with you.”

My cheeks heated up to a boiling temperature, and I lowered my eyes to my hands, which I fidgeted.

“ _ Do I admit it or deny it _ ,” I interrogated myself as I inspected my twirling thumbs in circles around each other for a minute.

“After I examined the two of you interacting the other day, I knew that I didn’t have any chance with you, Janine,” he divulged, shrugging.

“The other day?” I repeated and then paused to remember when I spoke to Egon as I had a good job avoiding him in the past two months. Almost as excellent as a job as he used to dismiss me last year, I thought, smiling ruefully at the memory, and seized my wine glass with my right hand.

_ “Touche, Dr. Spengler, _ ” I thought, bringing it to my lips and ingesting a large sip.

“I came by on Wednesday evening to take you to Del Frisco, but Dr. Venkman said that you were assisting Dr. Spengler with an experiment,” Todd described patiently.

He held back speaking as I racked my brain when I helped Egon this week. Finally, I remembered. Of course, Todd would have walked in the one time that I had interacted with Egon in about a month of evading him.

“Dr. Spengler was in the middle of an explanation, and the way you looked at him was like he hung the moon or split the atom or something. This was before the two of you noticed I was in the room or before Dr. Venkman interrupted a few times,” he expounded, discouraged.

“He had just tested my brain waves with a new 3d program,” I rejoined quickly, feeling guilty.

“It’s OK. I think you are a sweet woman, and I wish you every happiness in the world with Dr. Spengler. I hope he realizes how perfect you are and how lucky he is to have your love. For the record, Dr. Spengler is head over heels in love with you, too,” Todd remarked, standing up from the barstool, leaving some money for our drinks, and strolling out with a wave and a tiny smile.

Tears obstructed my eyes as I downed another big gulp of the sweet wine, hoping the alcohol would numb my pain and anger.

“ _ Another boyfriend possibility lost to Egon _ ,” I thought to myself, crossly, and ran my fingers along the side of the large glass of wine in agitation. Within ten minutes, I had finished the drink that Todd purchased for me, caught the bartender’s attention, and requested another glass of wine since we were no longer going to the movies. As I drank, I became more and more frantic about my inability to forget Egon.

One glass later, I decided that I would tell Egon Spengler off, so I left my bar stool and steadied myself on my own two feet. I felt extraordinarily shaky and unbalanced because I had a buzz. As a result, I cursed myself for my low tolerance and attempted to walk out of the bar without stumbling. My head felt very light, and things were moving faster.

“Hey, you aren’t driving, are you?” The strawberry blonde hair bartender with a boyish smile asked, concerned.

“No. Why,” I questioned, but I felt wobbly as I attempted to appear sober. I failed because this young man quickly questioned, “Do you want me to call a cab?”

“No, I’m walking two and a half blocks away to my place of...hiccup... employment,” I refuted rigidly, covering my mouth with an embarrassed smile. Swiftly, I cleared out before the bartender asked me more questions. Before I went to the firehouse, I walked with a pleasant feeling from the alcohol to the nearest convenience store to pick up a cheap wine bottle. It wasn’t payday yet, but I had ten dollars on me.

“ _ To hell with Egon _ ,” I encouraged myself about my decision to tell him off. I opened the bottle to ingest a large sip; then, I put the cap back on it. Afterward, I placed the bottle in the brown bag and held on to it tightly as I strode back to the firehouse, which was now four blocks away. My attention focused on walking as straight as possible. By and by, I arrived at the firehouse and knocked on the door loudly. Of course, it wasn’t locked when I checked the knob, so I opened it and strolled in.

“Ray!? Peter!? Hello,” I shrieked at the top of my lungs. Drained, I stumbled to the stairs, where I promptly fell on my butt. Thankfully, it was a soft landing. The bottle of cheap wine almost spilled all over the steps, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized it hadn’t. 

“ _ Shit. Maybe I should have taken that taxi ride home _ ,” I thought out loud and uncapped my wine bottle. I took a considerable sip then sang along with the Cars song from the bar earlier, 

“ It's all I can do, To keep waiting for you, It's all I can do, It's all I can do .”

After the song ended, I stood up and climbed the stairs very gradually. My legs felt like they were full of lead and weighed a ton, and I paused halfway to rest and guzzle my tasty wine. 

“ _ Wait, shouldn’t Egon be here _ ,” I thought out loud as I ascended the stairs to the top and screamed, 

“Egon ‘freaking’ Spengler? Are you here?”

Music played from the lab’s direction, and the song changed to the one Egon sang to me outside of the gala that night.

_ “Damn, why this song! One of my favorites,”  _ I whined. When Egon sang this song to me, it made me feel very important to him. I shut my eyes for a moment and envisioned him in that tuxedo standing before me, and then I remembered I was annoyed with him. Opening my eyes, I began to sing noisily and out of tune until I made it to the sofa, 

“I want to be with you night and day. Oh, baby, I love your way..”

A questioning male voice interrupted my private concert, “Janine?”

It was his deep husky sound that I would know anywhere, at any time for the rest of my life, and I felt my heart melt a little. A small smile turned up on my lips as Egon flipped the light on, and my eyes blinked several times to adjust.

There stood the handsome and brilliant man that I loved in gray pants, a white polo shirt, and giving me a quizzical expression with a raised eyebrow. Exhaling, I grinned at him while observing his typical reaction to something that surprised him at once.

“ _ Where is the saucy lab coat _ ?” I wondered to myself,  _ “He normally had it on all of the time _ .”

Dr. Egon Spengler looked scrumptious, and I wanted to pepper him with kisses everywhere. I felt a tremendous itch between my legs, indicating my arousal and need for him. Shivers ran down my spine as I observed him and goosebumps appeared on my arms.

“ _ Why did alcohol make me horny? Or better yet, why did Egon make me so horny?”  _ I thought for a second, cocking my head to the right side to take the glorious sight of his handsomeness.

“ _ I would love to pull down his pants and ride him like I was a cowgirl in an old Western,” _ I contemplated mischievously, giving Egon a sly grin, and my cheeks reddened heavily at my thought. I seductively walked over to him, swinging my hips with a big bright smile on my face. I stopped a little bit ahead of him and put my free hand on my small waist to emphasize it as Egon loved my curves.

“Are you OK,” he inquired fretfully.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Egon... ‘freaking’ Spengler, want to drink with me,” I exclaimed, very noisily in my Brooklyn accent, holding up my wine bottle with a gigantic smile that I knew he couldn't resist. Egon confessed that my luminous smile was one of the most mesmerizing parts of me. Wearily, he regarded me with hesitant eyes.

Feeling randy, I gave him the once-over with a provocative stare, forgetting that I came to yell at him for the drama. As a result, Egon’s face tinted a medium pink shade when he saw that I was flirting with him.

“Uhm.Janine, you... didn’t answer my question,” he insisted, shuffling his feet and keeping his eyes off of me.

“I’m fine, I guess,” I babbled, moving closer to him, where I was only inches away from him. He watched me discreetly as I placed my left hand on his chest and viewed his plump, kissable lips from underneath my eyelashes. My lust rose as I touched his chest playfully, taking the time to feel those defined pec muscles through his polo shirt.

“Mmm, baby, you are sexy,” I cooed seductively, tilting my face up towards him, batting my eyelashes at him.

“You have had too much to drink,” he uttered in a low voice and collected the bottle from me. Egon ignored my comment for the time being, and then I waited for him to put it in the fridge. When he returned, Egon situated back a few extra feet away from me to create more space between us.

“Do you know how gorgeously handsome you are, Egon Spengler,” I flirted with him as I strode closer to him to press my body very gently against his warm one but tripped a bit because my balance was off. Quick on his feet, Egon put his hands on my waist to steady me, and I felt the energy between our bodies producing the heat of a burning fire all over me. Yearningly, I viewed him from under my eyelashes.

“ _ Yes, I am on fire for you _ ,” I thought as I peered up to his chocolate brown eyes and lowered my hands slowly on his back down to his butt for a gratifying squeeze. I loved Egon’s ass as it was the perfect combination of firm and soft in the right spots.

To say Egon was shocked by my actions would be an understatement, but he didn’t seem displeased. He was so shy sometimes when it came to PDA, and it always made me giggle. Instead, Egon’s face glowed a crimson as I pinched his ass. Unanticipatedly, he brought me in closer to him with his strong arms, and I could feel his sex harden. 

“Is this what you want,” he challenged desirably with his deep voice lowering further and a sneer on his lips as a soft moan escaped my lips.

“Yes,” I purred, gazing into his eyes and putting my arms around his waist. As Egon and I stared into each other eyes for a moment, it would seem that both of us were up for a little fun, a roll in the hay. During our short time dating I learned when he was “in the mood,” there was a roguish glint of wanton desire and need in his eyes, just like now. 

Next, I put my arms around his neck and fingered the sensitive skin on the back of it. Egon groaned a little happy sigh as it was an erogenous area for him, and gruffly, he admitted a little out of breath, “You know I love it when you flirt with me, Janine, and you know what it does to me.”

“Yes, I do,” I cooed, caressing his face tantalizingly with my fingertips. First, I felt Egon’s strong angular jawline, and then I touched his lips, watching him squirm before he clasped my hand quickly then removed it from his face. He still kept a firm grasp of my waist with his other hand.

“Come on, baby, you know you want me, I can see it in your eyes, and baby, do I want you,” I whispered in a slur, attempting to be enticing. Egon raised an eyebrow after I spoke with a smirk on his provocative lips but didn’t contradict my statement as I pressed my body more strenuously against his own.

“Janine,” he mumbled uncomfortably, “ you don’t want it like this, and neither do I.”

Again, I lifted my face up to his and flashed him a bright smile as I thought about how much I had turned him on in the past. Then I thought about the ways- seductive dancing, striptease, erotic massage. Nervously, Egon seemed to be reading my thoughts as he cleared his throat again then looked to his right. His face transformed to a redder hue than before, and he took some gulps of air nervously.

“ _ Screw it _ ,” I thought, “  _ I’m going for it _ .”

I put my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me so I could kiss him passionately. Unfortunately, Egon removed my arms from his neck slowly as I did, gazing meaningfully into my eyes, then stepped back from me. 

Embarrassed, I lowered my head and began to weep. Stepping back from his embrace, I knew that some of my sudden emotions came from my extensive alcohol consumption, but I couldn’t help but feel rejected. Plus, I longed to be close to him, and sex was the best way right now. It wasn’t just lust, but that was some of it.

“ _ What a fool I am to believe that he would want to kiss me still _ !” I thought, ashamed.

“Don’t you want to kiss me,” I asked, peering up, self-consciously at him through my tears. My eye makeup was running down my face, and I am sure I appeared awful.

Egon gave me an extremely dubious look, bellowing, “Is that what you think, Janine??”

I shrugged, meeting his widened brown eyes with my own, tears still coming down my face.

“Janine,” he sighed huskily, shutting his eyes to gather his thoughts while taking a moment to gather his thoughts. Next, he embraced me closely and confessed into my ear, “I... Uhm...want to kiss you now, but I have wanted to do so every day since I made that horrible mistake, my angel. You have been drinking, and if something was to happen between us, I want you to be sober and be present. You would blame me for taking advantage of you, and I don’t want to do anything that you will regret.”

Nodding, I squeezed his warm body with my own tightly, enjoying his nearness and knowing he was right. It still hurt, though. As if he sensed my injury, Egon wrapped his arms around me tighter and nuzzled my neck with his lips and nose. I could feel his lips turn up in a smile as they touched it, causing a prickling of sensations on my skin, then hot like a sunburn. Groaning slightly, I grabbed onto him as firmly as I could, 

“Ohhhh, Egon...”

“I love you, Janine Louise Melnitz. I know I have to prove to you that I am worthy enough to deserve another chance. But I also have to do it for myself,” he contended, sincerely, pulling back from me, so our eyes met. Egon’s eyes read my own to see if I understood and then seemed satisfied when he saw my reaction to his comment. His right hand caressed my face gently, and he leaned over to kiss my cheek softly.

Next, we locked in an extended hug, swaying back and forth, and it felt like the warmth of a cozy fire and comforting like a cup of hot tea on a cold fall morning. As usual, I felt very protected and loved in his arms. Egon could be extraordinarily affectionate when he wanted to be, and I loved it so much because it was so opposite from when I met him as he was so emotionless when I first met him. Once, he confessed that I stirred a fire in him that he couldn’t tame nor did he want to, and I shuddered happily at that memory.

“Let me take care of you,” Egon offered and withdrew his arms from my body, leaving me to observe him curiously with a grin on my face.

Thoughtfully, he padded into the kitchen and prepared a glass of water for me to drink. Egon also grabbed a bag of chips. Next, he put his arm in mine and brought me into the lab with him carefully because I was still a little wobbly on my feet. We didn’t say anything until we got in there, where the radio was playing Jackson Browne’s “Somebody’s Baby,” and he guided me to the sofa to sit down. When Egon turned the volume down, I saw a blank cassette tape holder on the coffee table that looked identical to what I made him last year for his birthday. Perplexed, I put my glass of water down and picked up the empty cassette holder, and read the playlist that was in my handwriting.

“Egon, I didn’t know that you kept this?” I felt my heart swelling with happiness as he sat next to me on the sofa, near but not right on top of me.

“Of course, Ahem, I did, Janine. I, Uhm, love it because you made it for me,” he affirmed, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

Turning around to face him, I told him that I was glad he did and smiled joyfully at him.

“I’m going to do everything I can in my power to convince you to give me another chance or until you tell me to stop,” Egon expressed, with a determined smile on his lips.

“Really,” I purred, giving him a sultry leisurely smile and leaning my body onto his a tad.

Longingly, he gazed into my face, which was just inches from my own. All Egon would have to do is to bend downwards for his lips to touch mine, and I glanced up at him expectantly. I desperately wanted him to kiss me the way only he could, and he touched my lips with his fingertips in a way that made me know he wanted to kiss me from our experience together. His light touch tickled my lips, causing me to giggle and Egon to beam down at me. I observed him outline my jaw with his fingers and then the right side of my neck and shoulders, feeling exhilarated by his caresses. 

“Ohh, Egon,” I moaned sensually.

“I wish I hadn’t made so many mistakes with you,” he submitted hoarsely, peering up from my lips to my eyes.

Throwing my arms around him on the spur of the moment, I let my fingers touch his wavy hair on the back of his head and played with it for a while as our eyes locked on each others’ happily.

“Here’s a chance to make it up to me,” I cooed expressively, leaning forward into him.

“Not until I win you back and not when you have been drinking,” he maintained quickly, again detaching my arms from his neck then scooting his whole body to the left a little, so he was a little further from me. My hand dropped from his shoulder down to his chest first. Then I allowed it to move to his waist, where I held it there for a second to tease him and glanced down to see his enormous arousal pulling tightly in his khakis. Giggling, I covered my mouth as Egon’s face flushed, and he crossed his legs to hide his sizeable erection. When he did, I removed my hand gently, and I pouted at him exaggeratedly by sticking my lower lip out as far as I could because I knew he had trouble resisting it in the past.

“ Janine, I don’t want you to do something you might regret later. Will you please drink some water?”

Nodding, I obeyed his directions, sipped at my water until he was satisfied, and then curled my legs under my butt while singing along with the next song on the tape.” Grinning, Egon watched me absentmindedly as I did so, making me wonder what was going on in his great mind. After the song ended, I inquired, shyly, “Egon, will you hold me for a little while?”

“Is this going to be something you regret when you are sober?”

After I shook my head back and forth, Egon shifted in proximity to me on the sofa, pleased as punch, murmured,

“Then, of course, my love.”

Giggling, I put my head on his chest as he gently placed his arms around my waist, careful not to touch my breasts or anything else, and I felt myself relax when he did so. When Egon tenderly kissed on the top of my head, I felt felicitous tears come to my eyes, and then he sighed into my ear, “Oh, Janine. I am such a fool.”

“Hardly,” I scoffed with a giggle. Egon put his chin on the top of my head, and I simpered at his nearness, enjoying it immensely as I felt all the tingles that it caused; I heard him exhale deeply again.

“No, when I mean it comes to you,” my physicist confessed into my ear, putting a lock of my hair behind it carefully. I sighed gleefully.

“I don’t want to talk about this right now, Egon,” I replied earnestly, enjoying his warm arms around my body and gradually closing my eyes. My eyelids were feeling very heavy, almost too much to lift.

“I am going to win you back and finally prove to you how much you truly mean to me, or my name isn’t Egon ‘freaking’ Spengler,” he stated, ignoring my comment.

On the one hand, I would be insane to reject Egon’s request for another chance because I loved him with every beat of my heart. However, on the other hand, my heart was reluctant and very guarded because I couldn’t take another heartbreak as I had suffered too much regarding him.

_ “I wonder how he would do that _ ,” I thought to myself with eagerness,  _ “prove himself? _ ”

As Egon gingerly placed his lips on the top of my head for another kiss, I giggled at his use of my nickname for him earlier, and he chuckled in his deep sexy voice. Next, I fell asleep happily as he sang to me.

  
  


_ Egon ‘freaking’ Spengler _

Holding Janine in my arms for a while, listening to the cassette tape she made me, and talking like we used to was like being in the middle of a dream that I did not want to wake up from. Therefore, I cherished every moment of it, and Janine fell asleep like I knew she would because the wine tired her out. I hoped that she permitted me to take care of her meant that she might take me back eventually. It had been weird for a few months because of Victor and our breakup.

“ You wait in the wing, Like a Saturday flirt, Protecting the judge; you don't want to get hurt.

And once in a moment, It all comes to you, As soon as you get it, You want something new, It's all I can do, To keep waiting for you, It's all I can do,” I sang the Cars “It’s All I Can Do” to her with a smile on my face until I fell asleep.

  
  


_ Ray Stantz _

My arrival home was unexpected to the Ghostbusters’ own Romeo and Juliet. I did a double-take when I saw Janine snuggled up to Iggy with her head on his shoulder, and his head was on top of her with his arm around her waist. It was cute, and it gave me some hope for the two of them to reunite soon. Especially after what happened with Victor a month ago.

As a result, I found my camera hurriedly and took a few pictures of them, more documentation that they belonged together for the future. I figured that I could give them these pictures as gifts when they finally overcame their idiocy. Unfortunately, the flash did wake them up, and I apologized with a whisper,

“One day, you will thank me.”

“Wha- what time is it,” Janine questioned, groggily, opening her lovely blue eyes; then Spengs began to stir by lifting his head and stretched his arms.

“Almost twelve-thirty, do you need a ride home,” I questioned, with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, please, I am not taking the subway so late, and I don’t have taxi fare because I spent it all on wine,” she complained, rubbing her temples. Janine reached for her glass of water on the end table and took a large gulp.

“I thought you had a date,” I questioned with a knowing glance.

“Who are you, Venkman? Don’t be like him, big bro,” Janine sassily returned, rolling her blue eyes, and returned to drinking the water. 

“I did, but that’s over,” she stated after she drank the rest of the glass. I made a chuckling type of noise. 

“You never did explain what happened,” Spengler stated, curiously, as Janine went to the kitchen to fill her glass with water again. His brown eyes watched her as she refilled her glass and came back into the lab.

I could tell she was still tipsy by the way she was walking off-balanced. My little sister ignored Iggy’s statement and instead asked about my date. After I gave her a few harmless details, I questioned her, “You ready to go, J?”

Nodding, she was enthusiastic that I had a new love interest and afterward said to Egon, with that goofy in love grin on her face,

“Good night.”

Spengler gave her a matching grin and wished her goodnight. We descended the stairs until Janine remembered to retrieve her wine bottle. Luckily, we had only made it down one of the flights of stairs as she listened to the details of my date. When she returned to me with a half-drunk bottle of wine, I admonished, 

“You drank all of that, lil sis? You know you have a low tolerance.”

“Well, almost half of it and two glasses at that bar where we watched the Ramones cover band play,” my little sister confessed, “but I might want it another night. I still feel drunk.”

As I gave her the details of my growing fondness for Kelly, Janine listened elatedly.

“I don’t think that we are head over heels in love with each other like you and Spengs are, but we enjoy each other’s company,” I remarked slyly as we arrived on the bottom floor.

Ignoring my comment, we climbed into Ecto One without speaking.

“So what happened with Todd?”

“Egon ‘freaking’ Spengler,” Janine commented, laughing. I had no idea what she meant by that statement and told her so.

“Todd admitted that he knew I was in love with Egon and said that he wished me good luck with him. In the lab two days ago, he saw me assist Egon, and apparently, my behavior proved it to him. According to him, Egon was in love with me, too,” Janine answered happily.

“Tell us something we don't know,” I replied, sarcastically giving her a knowing grin, but she appeared to be elated with this information, although it wasn’t anything new. 

“Didn’t you already know that,” I questioned her doubtfully as I turned the key to the ignition. Janine replied that she didn’t know what she knew anymore when it came to Egon.

“It has been downright bizarre the last month because of everything that happened with Victor,” I admitted, “ and you have been avoiding Iggy as he did to you last year. It’s been very odd.”

“I agree,” Janine concurred, singing along with the radio, “It’s all that I can do. To keep waiting for you.”

She peered out the window.

“ Are you making him earn it,” I inquired.

“Egon has to prove to me that he wants to mean his life,” Janine replied firmly.

“Then why were you curled up next to him,” I asked, curiously, stopping at a red light. My comment was not well received, however.

“I didn’t say I didn’t have a weakness for him,” she snapped,” I make mistakes.”

We were silent for the rest of the time on the drive to Brooklyn, and Janine apologized for barking at me later. I told her that I was joyful to see her and Egon together, which was the truth, and my little sister grinned at me.

  
  


_ Janine Melnitz _

My head hurt when I woke up the next morning, as I recalled the previous evening. Specifically, I remembered the time Todd referred to earlier when I helped Egon with his experiment on Wednesday.

_ Wednesday _

After their afternoon bust, Egon shyly requested my help with an experiment in the lab if I wasn’t too busy, and after checking with Dr. Venkman, it was OK. 

“Sure, who am I to stand in the way of love,” Peter inquired rhetorically, shrugging at the kitchen table, raising his head from  _ The Times  _ paper for a second, twitching his brown eyebrows up and down.

I took a section of the paper, hit him on his balding head as a response without voicing a comment, and then strolled into the lab—the four or five charms on my chimed in a musical sound as I did so.

“Be sure to swing your hips some more and shake your ass,” he called from behind me, “Iggy likes it.”

“Fuck you, Peter Venkman!” I replied, losing my patience with him by turning around, giving him the middle finger, giving him a bloodthirsty glance. He was referring to the fact that I used to add a little hip sway and shake my butt a tad when trying to gain Egon’s attention early last year. 

“ _ Boy, have times changed since then _ ,” I thought, “  _ Even though I wouldn’t have agreed with this conclusion earlier, those days were almost easier because he hadn’t broken my heart yet _ .”

Agitated, I opened the door to the lab with a bang where Egon set up the experiment, but he didn’t glance up because he was too engrossed in his work. That was one thing I liked about him, his dedication and persistence of his dreams, and those thoughts assuaged my anger as I thought about him. The past two months had been cumbersome with Egon, but I didn’t want to think about that right now.

Viewing Egon as I crossed the room, I felt my pulse quickened at the sight of this handsome physicist dressed in khaki pants that hugged his firm, tight ass and a black t-shirt that snuggly fit his upper body and his white lab coat. Something about that white coat managed to turn me on almost every time.

“ _ What is it about it _ ,” I wondered to myself. 

Quietly, I ignored my body’s arousal as I walked to where he was standing over the IBM computer, typing something in. Egon let out a frustrated sigh as it made a warning beep, and a look of anguish crossed his face.

“What’s wrong,” I inquired, peering over his shoulder as he retyped something, and then he explained the problem.

“Oh, it’s the software, let me reset it,” I answered, glad that I could help, and reluctantly, Egon moved away from the computer, still preoccupied with the problem and didn’t lookup. His right hand swept swiftly over mine, causing a shock to rock over my body. He too felt it and his eyes searched my own for a few seconds before he mumbled,

“Excuse me.”

His mocha color eyes were always a source of awe for me, and I have been known to spend hours peering into them as we held each other in our arms in the past. I allowed myself to get caught up in them for a quick second until he mumbled his apology and shifted to the right of me. Waking up from my daze, I typed in a command to reset the computer as I attempted to ignore my heart’s screaming that he was the one for me and disregarding my lips’ longing desire to kiss him silly.

It was uncomfortable for a second as the computer rebooted, but to my surprise, he made conversation by saying, “Where are you going to dinner tonight?”

“Oh,” I replied, peering down at my dress, realizing that I was wearing one of his favorite ones that revealed a little extra cleavage by its plunging neckline. It was a green frock that fit comfortably on my body and displayed my curves distinctly. Promptly, I recalled a time in April:

_ I put the dress on one morning before work in my bathroom, and then Egon came behind me, dressed in a white t-shirt and blue boxers, kissing my neck and pulling me from behind against his firm body. He gradually unzipped my dress and placed more kisses down my spine as it fell to my ankles... _

“Uhm, Del Friscos,” I answered, blushing at the memory of him undressing me fully and taking me hard against the bathroom counter. Meanwhile, the sounds of grunting, growling, moaning, and sighing were playing in my head sonorously as Egon said, with a twinkle in his eye,

“Uh oh.”

“ _ Why did it seem like Egon knew what was going on in my mind _ ?” I wondered, and I turned away from the computer to face him with one of my well-manicured eyebrows cocked up to the sky, waiting for Egon’s response. He had turned a shade of pink and paused before answering.

“That’s ...Venkman’s...Ahem...scoring restaurant..he takes his date to Del Frisco and then back to her place to...mmm...mate,” he stammered, turning red.

Weirdly, Egon never had trouble saying the word  _ sex _ when we were banging while we were dating. Ever. He was a most thoughtful and energetic partner. As I recalled us making love another time I was in this dress, I blushed. Egon mistook this information as evident with his incredulous question and voice, “Does he deserve you?”

Dumbfounded, I couldn’t believe that he asked me that and narrowed my eyes resentfully. I felt my pulse and heartbeats increase swiftly as I demanded, “Why do you automatically assume I am going to sleep with Todd?”

“I didn’t. Uhm...I know...it’s not...my place...but I wanted to ensure he deserves you,” he admitted, shyly. 

“ _ Why did he have an adorably timid look on his face _ ,” I wondered, attempting not to weaken my resolve.

“Did you deserve me?” I felt my wrath quell a little by his comment while I interrogated him.

“No, but I already knew that from day one,” Egon ‘freaking’ Spengler divulged, freely and swallowed hard,” by the way, you look lovely today, Janine.”

“Thank you,” I replied, grinning happily, lowering my face down to conceal the fact.

“ I always have liked that dress on you; it brings out your natural radiance,” he remarked, sincerely “ will you sit down on the chair so I can hook you up now, please?”

Dutifully, I sat down, crossing my legs and awaiting Egon to attach the electrodes to my temples.

“However, I always did immensely enjoy... removing that dress from you,” he leaned over me, and I could feel his hot breath on my ear as he chuckled friskily.

Both my body and cheeks flamed with heat as I recalled the intense fire when he would undress me or make love to me. Unexpectedly, I responded while observing him from underneath my eyelashes, then fluttered them a bit, “ I remember.”

“Yes, as do I,” he whispered, placing the electrodes on my temples gingerly and then going to the computer and typing something is causing the monitor to display a 3D female head. Egon gave me a timid smile when I craned my neck to look up at him as he was standing being him at the time. Our eyes locked on each other for a fraught moment, and I saw a hint of desire in Egon’s. As a result, I cleared my throat to assuage the sexual tension and inquired,

“Why do you need my brainwaves, Dr. Spengler?” 

“I am working on a new experiment. I already have Ray, Winston, and Peter’s,” he stated brusquely, noting that I was trying to change the subject.

“Alright then,” I responded.

“The program is reading your brainwaves, and then I will print them out. Then I would like you to hook me up and do the same thing,” Egon elucidated further, “ it should take ten more minutes.”

Neither of us attempted to fill the silence while the program did its job. However, we did spend some of that time with our eyes on each other. I felt my cheeks warm, and I lowered my head to look at my hands. For the past two months, I avoided Egon as much as I could due to our distressing predicament because it was too much for me to handle on top of finishing my second to last class for my degree. I had to write a research paper on new technological innovation for my current course, and I was assigned Apple’s Macintosh 128 K personal computer. Unfortunately, it was hard to get a hold of information on the product because it was so new unless you had direct access to Steve Jobs, Apple’s founder. I did manage to complete it with the help of a mystery friend.

Luckily, that class was now behind me, and I only had one more to go until graduation. When Egon requested me for his help with this experiment, I flummoxed by saying yes after I had spent such a long time avoiding him like the plague. I missed him, but I didn’t want to face the issues that he brought. 

“Are you ready for your final semester as an undergrad,” Egon inquired innocently, checking the program’s progress, and I nodded happily.

He carefully removed the electrodes from my temples without any flirting after printing out a copy of my brainwaves, and I stood up so he could take my place on the chair. Once he did, I immediately smelled his cologne which I loved, and I felt a little awkward putting those electrodes on his temples. With his gentle encouragement, I did so and awaited his next directions. After I had followed all of them, I removed the electrodes and gave them to him. Our hands touched each other gently, and he kept his on mine for a second. 

“Would you like to see the report that I am doing on brain waves and how they compare?”

“Sure,” I agreed, and he removed his hand reluctantly. Excitedly, Egon went to the whiteboard to chart the differences in his co-workers’ brain waves and explained what it meant. I loved seeing his voraciousness as he did because it was contagious. His brown eyes were shiny, showing his said eagerness, and his voice became animated as he commenced talking with his hands. Therefore, my attention was drawn to him, and I remained captivated with a large grin on my face. Furthermore, I was engrossed in this experiment as it was not only intriguing. Egon could be talking about peanut butter and jelly and it would be fascinating to me.

That is when Venkman had to clear his throat twice to get my attention because Todd was here and then finally poked my arm, repetitively, saying noisily, “ Janine, your date is here.”

Snapping out of the daze, I turned my head towards Peter to reprimand him for hitting my arm in the same place, producing a mild ache. There he stood next to me with a smug look on his face as he knew that I wasn’t going to scream at him, or so he thought, “Stop it, Peter Venkman, or I’ll smack you into next week.”

“More of that Brooklyn charm,” Peter replied sarcastically. Then he hissed in a whisper to me, “ Your date is here.” 

“Huh?” My attention was still on Egon, who had ceased talking and turned his back to us to disguise his dissatisfaction. However, I had seen his cute face fall when Peter announced that Todd was here. He hid his obvious disappointment by turning his back to me, and I felt a little sad.

“You ready, Janine,” Todd inquired as I stood there fidgeting, feeling torn on whether I wanted to stay or go. Finally, I felt my date grab my hand tightly as I stood there in a daze and pull me behind him out of the firehouse because I didn’t respond. That caused me to snap out of my trance enough to see the back of Egon and Venkman shaking his head at me in dismay and giving me a cunning grin. Quickly, I flashed the bird at him before he was out of my sight.

Early September 1984

As I broke my reverie of the memory, I felt my heart fall to my stomach. I didn’t like recalling Egon upset, but of course, it was all of his own volition. My stubbornness and anger rose in my chest as I took my diary out to write about the past couple of days.

_ Another one bites the dust to Egon Spengler-Todd. _

My head pounded from the wine, so I put the journal on my dark wooden nightstand along with the blue ballpoint pen and shut my eyes, saying, 

“Why can’t Egon just admit that he wants me in his life?” __

Then I went back to sleep.

  
  


The Next Day Sunday, September 3

_ Peter Venkman _

Since the whole Victor incident, Janine avoided Egon, leaving him feeling less confident of her love for him and the possibility of them reuniting. Out of the blue, magic occurred on Thursday. Without them noticing, I was able to view them as Janine participated in Spengler’s experiment. I observed them flirting with each other similarly to the way they did the previous year, and it gave me a little hope for the couple.

After Ray informed me that he had discovered them in each other’s arms after his date, I couldn’t deny that I wasn’t astounded with how they were acting on Thursday. 

“So, that is why Egon is whistling and singing this morning,” I realized outwardly as I made my coffee.

Stantz shrugged and persisted in eating his cereal. I revealed to him that the Iggy-Janine flirtation before Victor arrived to pick her up for her date on Wednesday.

“I guess that explains the reason it didn’t work out with Todd,” Ray retorted drily. Lighting up a cigarette, I agreed with him.

“Janine is making him work for it,” I remarked, after taking a drag on my cigarette, “ I agree with this decision, though. He needs to prove himself.”

Dressed in his pair of faded black athletic shorts and a cardinal-colored MIT t-shirt, Egon walked into the kitchen as we were talking, and surprisingly, he joined our conversation.

“Yes, I do to her and myself. I told her that last night,” he added, going into the kitchen after putting his sketchbook. Egon started poking around the fridge for some breakfast as it was eight in the morning. 

Ray and I exchanged a pleasantly shocked look that Egon not only paid attention to but commented. A year ago, he wouldn’t have said a word and disregarded the conversation. Meanwhile, Egon would have been reluctant to discuss his life outside of his career. 

“That’s fantastic,” I exclaimed, and he nodded.

“Anyone else want eggs,” he asked, peering at us through his dark circular glasses. His hair was disheveled from sleep and stuck out a little on the side. We all concurred, and he washed his hands thoroughly in the sink then began removing items from the fridge.

“Have you decided how you are going to win her back,” Ray inquired, and Spengler didn’t answer right away. I couldn’t tell if he was lost in thought or just focusing on cooking.

“Yes, I have been devising a plan involving her birthday; I think it is important that I need to re-establish trust with her before enacting it,” Egon answered.

“Well, what is it,” I prompted, interested, and sat up in my chair. I gave Spengler a quizzical look.

“What kind of eggs are you making,” Ray questioned, standing up to supervise Iggy. He stopped and waited for suggestions. We agreed on cheese omelets because we lacked supplies to add anything else. I began to clean the dishes that were in the sink from yesterday so he could start.

“Iggy, are you going to disclose your plan?”

My tall friend responded with a tiny smile on his lips and a twinkle in his eyes, “No, not it is 100% ready to implement.”

“Besides,” Ray joined in, “ You have a big mouth, Venkman.”

Wordlessly, Egon and I glanced at each other skeptically as it was indeed Stantz who usually blabbed out secret information. There wasn’t any point to indicate the irony of his statement, though.

“Since it’s Labor Day weekend, is today a workday,” Ray inquired later as we were eating our omelets with pieces of buttered toast and our morning black coffee.

“Hmm, there isn’t anything scheduled until Tuesday unless we get a call. We told both Winston and Janine they didn’t have to come in today or tomorrow because we have been slammed with business,” I responded thoughtfully.

“I have some reports to run for the month, and I would like to scrutinize the activity in the containment unit since it is filling up so quickly,” Egon said, looking at one of his drawings. Since I was sitting next to him, I peaked to see their contents.

“ When is this?” 

The drawing conveyed two people, I am assuming Egon and Janine, but it was unfinished, sitting on the sofa in the lab cuddling.

“Last night,” he replied, grinning blithely, and handed it to me to view more carefully, “it isn’t completed, though.”

I gave it to Ray, who offered to develop the photos he took last night, but Egon rejected the idea.

“I have it in my head, but thanks,” he declared, pointing to his large cerebellum covered by his thick wavy hair.

“OK, Mr. Mysterious, does this drawing have to do with the plan on winning her back,” I asked nosely, noticing that it was the sketchbook he had of all of his drawings of Janine from the past year and a half.

“A small part, yes,” he confessed, “but that’s all that you are learning about it for now.”

“Fair enough,” I put my hands down in surrender and grinned, “Look at you, Spengs, going after your woman.”

Egon returned my smile and replied, “I have never been as serious about anything in my life as winning Janine back. Everything else doesn’t matter in the long run. My career, winning a Nobel, this business. Not that I don’t want those things, but they are now secondary.”

“Hi, my name is Peter Venkman; what is your name,” I teased after staying quiet from the shock of Iggy’s realization and held out my hand.

Drily, he rolled his eyes and responded, “Come on, Venkman. Don’t exaggerate.”

“Too late for that,” Ray quipped and began to laugh, “ but it is a major transformation in your thoughts and goals, Spengs.”

Curtly, he nodded and began drawing in his sketchbook with a pencil ending the conversation. 

Chuckling at the way Spengler shut down the conversation in his very unique style, I asked if either of them wanted to go to the beach to go pick up some chicks or at least ogle the eye candy. Ray seemed game, but Egon seemed hesitant.

“You can still draw on the beach or do your analysis,” I urged.

“I’d be more willing to go if Janine was going,” he remarked, with a gleam in his eye indicating her provocativeness.

“Oh, Spengs, you devil,” I laughed at his implication.

“I bet. Does J have quite the swimsuit collection, Egon,” Ray joked.

Raising his eyebrows, his face turned very red when our theoretical physicist admitted, “She may, but Janine has a phenomenal body. I wouldn’t mind seeing her clad in next to nothing again.”

We all laughed heartily.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback welcomed.


	5. With A Little Help From My Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janine receives help from a mysterious source on her senior research paper. Meanwhile, Winston takes the lead on a bust for a first time due to Peter being indisposed and Dana Barrett comes in HQ for assistance.

_Chapter 5 “With A Little Help From My Friends” (Early August 1984)_

_“Oh, baby_ , _I get by_

_(By with a little help from my friends)_

_All I need is my buddies_

_(Try with a little help from my friends)_

_I said I'm gonna get high_

_(High with a little help from my friends)_

_Oh, yeah_ . _”_

_The Beatles, “With A Little Help From My Friends”_

_Winston Zeddemore_

As the newest Ghostbuster, there were things that I had to learn: cleaning the traps, using a proton pack, employing a particle thrower to capture a spirit or specter, my role in capturing a ghost on a bust, when to overlook Dr. Venkman’s overly sardonic comments and to evade asking the erudite Dr. Spengler technical questions because I rarely comprehended his responses. Distressingly, those were only a few of the things I needed to learn because there were numerous additional knowledge and essential skills required. I borrowed books from Dr. Stantz and Dr. Spengler to read in my spare time to gain this expertise when Maura and I weren’t on a date, planning our wedding, spending time with family or friends, or just chilling out. In my one-month employment, the things that I saw were mind-boggling as a non-believer of the supernatural, and I quickly began to believe.

On a cloudy gray morning with high humidity before ten, Ray, Egon, and I concluded two busts- one in Queens and one in Harlem. The first was a haunted laundromat in the older part of the borough where clothes were floating away from customers as they did their washes, and it was a reasonably easy capture and entrapment. Regrettably, the latter took longer as it was a class three jogger ghost in a pair of black runner shorts and a white Nike shirt with matching shoes in Marcus Garvey Park, a twenty-acre park in East Harlem. Since the park was so spacious, we swiftly acknowledged that we could not just get away with tailing the ghost to discover its chosen route in Ecto One and that we had to capture it on foot.

“Suggestions or plans,” Ray inquired Egon or me before we exited the car. I was a little hesitant to make recommendations because they had so much more experience with apprehending ghosts than I did, but I still found myself speaking up for the first time,

“ Why don’t we split up? I’ll go by the arena to the right, and Dr. Spengler, would you mind going by the large cedar tree by that building on the northeast side? Dr. Stantz, go by the entrance with the trap.”

“Sounds like the rookie came up with his first plan,” Ray commented after scrutinizing it for a while, then gave me a high five by spinning around from the driver’s seat to grin at me.

“Indeed,” Egon affirmed, with an arched eyebrow. That was enough consent for me, and I exclaimed with a liveliness that made even the solemn Dr. Spengler grin a little,

“Let’s do this!”

My employers joined me at the back of Ecto One as Ray opened the trunk to retrieve our heavy proton packs. I worked out and kept in great shape because I was in the Marines for so long, but that equipment greatly outweighed anything I carried in my service time.

  
  


The plan worked out indubitably until the ghost realized it and went off route. Since I was in the best physical shape, I managed to run it back on track to the park's entrance, where Ray opened the trap just at the right time. However, I had to run for almost a mile, though, unexpectedly in our uniform and steel toe boots with a heavy proton pack on my back. We were discussing the bust afterward as Stantz drove us back to the HQ.

“You are lucky that I didn’t do my work out this morning, or I wouldn't have been able to run after him,” I remarked, acerbically, sitting in the front seat of Ecto One. Meanwhile, Dr. Spengler wrote notes in the backseat on his yellow legal pad as he always did and didn’t comment.

“Thank God, you are in shape, Z,” Ray remarked, lighting a cigarette and patting his belly when we returned to HQ around ten-thirty in the morning. We took our time exiting the vehicle as we knew we had a busy afternoon ahead of us, and we didn’t want to tire ourselves out. My stomach began rumbling, reminding me that I skipped breakfast because Maura and I had a quickie before leaving for work this morning.

“ _It was worth it though to be with my baby_ ,” I thought, smiling as Ray babbled on as both Egon and I were distracted with other things. I opened the door, climbed out of the vehicle, and felt another growl coming from my stomach area.

“Even I heard that one, Z,” Dr. Stantz joked, coming next to me as I began to unload the ghost traps from the back of Ecto One.

“Yes, I am famished,” I answered, then adding while shaking my head in disbelief, “Nothing like pursuing an overweight ghost running like the wind. There is not a way that man was so fast when he was alive.

“Should have made Venkman come out this morning and chase him,” Ray joked, chuckling.

“No, then we would still be running after him,” Egon refuted roguishly,” Peter is not off the hook for the rest of the busts this afternoon, though.”

“Yeah, chick or not,” Stantz agreed as he made his way past Janine’s desk.

“Mmm,” I muttered, gratefully, smelling the bacon, eggs, and other food, “Who made breakfast?”

“J,” Ray suggested, glancing at Egon, who was preoccupied with his PKE meter and didn’t notice his gentle teasing. 

The redhead secretary was not at her desk when we arrived, so that left out Janine, and we all realized at the same time that it was Dr. Venkman.

“Peter,” we said, simultaneously, 

“Did he use a woman as an excuse to get out of work,” I inquired, flabbergasted.

“Yeah, that’s a new one,” Ray mentioned, bitingly as he carried the traps downstairs.

“No, Raymond, it isn’t,” Egon contradicted, then wrinkled his nose in disdain as he strolled into his office with the meter in hand. He had been scrutinizing it since the last bust in the park.

I went upstairs to see the eats. Instead, I saw a young woman with long dirty blonde wet hair dressed only in a white bathrobe sitting on Pete’s lap and kissing him. At the time, he was slipping his hands inside it and began feeling around on her body. 

“Ohhh, Pete,” the woman cried softly.

“Oh shit!” I exclaimed when I realized what I had stumbled upon, but the two didn’t budge. As a result, I crept down the stairs and sat at Venkman’s desk.

“What are you doing down here,” Ray inquired after he cleaned the traps as I lit a cigarette and took a long drag from it.

I motioned upwards with my eyebrows, but he still seemed perplexed.

“He’s got a woman up there,” I whispered like we were in the army and trying not to disturb a friend getting lucky. 

“Still?”

“I guess Peter Venkman is a ladies’ man after all,” I mentioned, shocked as I didn’t know he had a lady up there when I came to work because the subject never presented itself.

“Yep. A woman hurt him about a month and a half ago, but he was very secretive about it. We never found out who it was or what happened, but he has been sleeping with women with a vengeance after,” Ray informed me, puffing on his cigarette. 

Dr. Spengler suppressed a laugh and cleared his throat as he came out of his office as he overheard this discussion, but that was an anomaly because he rarely laughed. Therefore, Dr. Stantz gave him a peculiar glare as we heard the blonde lady squeal and run loudly around the landing. Next, we listened to the pounding of Dr. Venkman’s footsteps, and a door slam then lock. Silence. 

“Ok, it’s safe to go upstairs. Let’s go,” Stantz informed casually like this happened all of the time.

I ascended with my bosses upstairs reluctantly, and we were all disappointed to find that there wasn’t any breakfast for us. There were dirty dishes, however.

“I’ll start the dishes, and we can cook our own, I guess,” Ray pouted, down in the dumps when he spotted the dirty dishes. 

Slapping the back of his shoulders, I agreed and asked, “Spengler, do you want some breakfast?”

The bespectacled physicist gazed up from the PKE meter, lost in thought, and I replicated my request. Egon nodded and strode to put the PKE meter away in the lab. With teamwork, the three of us scrubbed and dried the dirty dishes. While Ray made pancakes, I turned on the TV to watch the news, and Dr. Spengler sat down on the sofa next to me with his yellow legal pad making calculations dutifully. 

Before we ate at the kitchen table, Dr. Stantz made a toast with his coffee, “To the rookie and his excellent plan today!”

Next, both seasoned Ghostbusters chimed in unison, “To the rookie!”

I felt appreciated and told them so while blushing. 

“Great job, Z,” Ray repeated, grinning, “Will you turn the volume up so we don’t have to hear that?”

He pointed to the loud noise from Peter’s room, and I rose from the sofa and turned the volume knob upwards to drown out the sex sounds.

“Hey Iggy, we have to convince Venkman to get a dishwasher,” the heavyset and youngest Ghostbuster mentioned after chewing his first forkful of food.

“Indeed,” Dr. Spengler replied, without lifting his head from the notepad.

After we ate, Peter and the unknown lady emerged from his room, fully clothed and holding hands as Dr. Spengler and I cleaned the dishes. They sat down at the table, involved with each other and disregarding everything else. A lovely blonde wore a button-down blue knee-high blue dress with uneven shoulder pads and an air of merriment as she spoke to our leader, who flirted shamelessly while his hand rested on her upper thigh.

“Thanks for making us breakfast, Venkie,” Ray remarked acrimoniously, but Peter chose to ignore him. A little later, he rose from the table with his girl’s hand and walked down the stairs. I guess she was leaving.

“Who was that,” I inquired of Peter when he rebounded upstairs, looking as happy as a lark.

“That was one of the editors of the CUNY school paper, Sheila Connor. She interviewed me last night about the Ghostbusters; we went to one of the hot new clubs before we became romantically involved,” he retorted, winking at me, “ Damn, she was wild. What a night! And morning!”

Ray raised his eyebrows, and Egon excused himself to his lab with his notepad in tow.

_Janine Melnitz_

As I approached HQ from the subway station, I witnessed Peter kissing a college girl in front of our business’s door. Rapidly, I averted my eyes from this scene to the sidewalk and felt myself sighing heavily. It was the CUNY editor, Sheila, who had examined Peter about the Ghostbusters’ last night, and as I expected, he probably took her out to a bar or a club then slept with her.

She passed me as I strolled on the sidewalk to the firehouse’s door, and I greeted her with a smile. Then Sheila gave me a small wave, and on her face, there was a love-struck dreamy look that many of Peter’s conquests displayed. 

“Maybe Venkman was as good as he said he was in bed,” I thought, then rolled my eyes upward as I opened the door to the building.

“Coming back for more, baby, already,” Peter murmured huskily as I walked right into him and his arms enclosed around me quickly.

“Never!” I exclaimed stepping back from him when I realized what had happened. Venkman jumped back when he noticed it was me- we both felt like brother and sister to each other and the connotations that we would sleep together, grossed us both out.

“What happened to you,” he inquired, his pupils dilating in revelation. Peter had regained his composure already, but I’m sure I had a disgusted expression on my face still.

“What happened to you,” he inquired, his pupils dilating in revelation.

“What do you mean?”

“You look drained,” Dr. Venkman discerned,looking closely at me.

“I babysat and spent most of the early morning writing and typing my paper,” I admitted, sighing. I didn’t spend much time getting ready, so I asked, “do I look that bad?”

Venkman tilted his head a little and offered, “Maybe a little make-up will help.”

“I already have it on, Venkman,” I exclaimed, annoyed.

“Nah, you look fine, Brooklyn. Don’t forget once you go, Peter, you don’t go back,” he suggested airly, following me to my desk. He teased me because he knew I had no interest in him, nor did he because we regarded each other as family. 

“No, thank you,” I stated firmly, taking my book bag off of my shoulder and putting it in my desk drawer, “Don’t make me ill, Pete. Don’t you have any work to do?”

“I couldn’t do that to Iggy anyway; he would kill me if I pulled you,” Peter confessed, winking at me, and I rolled my eyes at him.

“When are we to find out who hurt you in June,” I inquired because I knew he brought up Egon to irritate me because that is what Peter did- poke you until you lost all serenity to aggravation. I opened my book bag and dug around for my purse. 

_“Maybe I will check my make-up,”_ I thought as I provoked Peter. 

“Who?”

“You know, Dr. Venkman, the chick who broke it off with you, and you sulked for two weeks,” I persisted, needling him, with a big grin on my lips. Since I was sleepy, my patience was thin today, and with Peter, that meant it would be even more delicate. However, I could tease and annoy him.

That did it- Peter left my desk area to search for someone else to bother, grumbling to himself. 

“Yes, success,” I exclaimed to myself enthusiastically and pumped my fist.

First, I dashed into the bathroom downstairs and checked out my appearance. There were some dark circles underneath my eyes because I didn’t sleep much, but my black skirt and sea green top were not wrinkled or disheveled.

“Stupid Peter,” I muttered, using the opportunity to use the restroom quickly, washing and drying my hands, then retucking my shirt. I applied a little concealer underneath my eyes and the corners of them cautiously, then reapplied my lipstick. Usually, I wore eyeliner, but it would just cause me to appear wearier, so I didn’t do that today.

As I strolled to my desk, I recalled writing and typing my rough draft after my nieces and nephew went to bed last night because it was due on Monday. Even though I was missing research, I needed to turn in something to this very demanding professor. Ray, graciously, said he would edit it for me today between busts, so I had to remember to give it to him before other parts of my job made me too busy to do so as I reached down to turn on the computer. I worked on this paper all summer and still lacked a critical piece of research, and the report was due in a couple of weeks.

At that time, a brown envelope addressed to me sitting in the middle of my desk beckoned me to open it. Next, I took my paper out of my bookbag and read the letter’s addressee without picking it up yet.

“ Dr. James Richardson,” I questioned in amazement as I heard the familiar sounds of my computer starting up. Sitting down in my desk chair, I frowned at the letter before I opened and picked it up to analyze the 

handwriting. 

“Nope, don’t recognize it,” I muttered, mystified.

“Columbia,” I read the address and unsealed the envelope gradually. Inside, a yellow sticky note on a rectangular light blue ticket with the university’s seal on it said, “Compliments of Dr. Richardson.”

There was a white piece of paper with a handwritten note that said, 

“Ms. Melnitz, I would like to extend this invitation to you to Steve Job’s exclusive lecture for my class at the --- Hall at Columbia University on August 9, 1984, at 1 p.m. afterward, he will answer questions. Cordially, Dr. Richardson.”

I let out an electrified shriek despite my fatigue.

“ _This could be the break that I need to complete my research for my senior paper,_ ” I thought energetically.

“Invited to listen to Steve Jobs speak? Are you kidding,” I exclaimed loudly to myself.

“Brooklyn, are you ok down there,” Peter questioned innocently.

With my ticket in my hand, their schedule, and my rough draft, I ran upstairs breathlessly with entertainment I didn’t think I had today to notify my bosses of the invitation. 

“Guess what,” I yelled when I reached the landing, then walked up to the kitchen table and showed them the invitation. As a result, Peter, Ray, and Winston gaped in surprise that I had finally gone insane.

“I got an invitation to attend an exclusive Steve Jobs lecture at Columbia next week,'' I declared, not waiting for an answer. Then I skipped around the landing and elucidated further,” this is going to help me write my research paper on the Macintosh 128 k!!”

“Oh,” Peter replied, looking unimpressed. Previously, they had been discussing his night with Sheila.

“Great,” Winston responded, pleased, after sipping a cup of coffee. 

I stopped skipping when I reached the kitchen table to drop off their schedule. 

“See?”

I handed Ray my ticket to view and then their schedule to Winston. My big brother scrutinized it in a bemused manner and then gave me a grin, questioning, “How did you manage that?”

“ I don’t know. Which one of you knows, Dr. James Richardson,” I inquired, carefree and full of joy.

“ _I am forever in someone’s debt for this favor,”_

I thought elatedly, “ _but I don’t care!_ ”.

“Richardson?” Peter echoed, and I nodded.

“ I don’t know who that is, do you, Raymond,” Peter inquired, helping me solve the question of who did me a big service.

Shaking his head, Stantz indicated that he didn't, and Winston added, “don’t look at me.”

“You are telling me that not one of you did this for me? Knowing that I am writing my research paper on The Macintosh 128 k ?”

“What’s the MacIntosh 128k,” Peter questioned, and he seriously didn’t know by his blank facial expression.

“It’s a new personal computer that Apple released in January,” Ray described, slowly, “but I don’t know that, professor.”

I looked at each Ghostbuster, waiting for them to admit it was them, but no one did.

“Come on; I just want to thank whoever did this for me. Peter, I need Tuesday afternoon off for a few hours, is that ok,” I requested, really wanting to thank my benefactor.

“Of course, I will get a former student to cover the phones for the afternoon,” he stated, a gleam in his eyes, “ I know which one too, Cindy, then I can take her out...”

Knowingly, the others chuckled as he went into further detail as I dropped my rough draft off to Ray and made my exit.

Happily, I evaded the rest of my over-sexed boss’s rant about the next woman he would screw by descending the stairs.

_Egon Spengler_

When I heard Janine bellow felicitously from downstairs, I knew she had seen the ticket to Steve Jobs’ lecture. Automatically, I beamed ear to ear as I heard it. Hearing Janine’s happiness produced joyfulness for me, too. Little did she know that I was her surprise sponsor, the fact that I wanted to keep a secret for a little while.

Knowing Janine had been struggling with completing her senior paper research this summer, I called in a favor from Dr. James Richardson. He was one of the few professors I kept in contact with at Columbia after the board of trustees removed our grant two years ago, and he was willing to help me when I told him this was for the woman that I loved during a lunch last week. When his eldest daughter had trouble in high school physics, I tutored her regularly in the late seventies.

“I know what you did now, Spengler,” Venkman mentioned, slyly, to me after he found me in the lab analyzing some results from my brain wave experiment.

“Mmm?” I feigned innocence as I made some calculations then concealed the giant smile on my lips.

“Egon,” Peter said, dramatically drawing out my name in a question.

“Yes, Venkman?” I remarked casually.

“Did you rig this invitation for your girl?”

Disregarding him, I continued my work, gratified, while my friend, impatiently, waited for me to make a come back but didn’t. Peter tapped his foot, annoyed.

“Regardless, Janine is thrilled by the random invitation anyway,” Peter reported, walking towards the door and out of the room, “if she asks me, I’ll say that you don’t know anything about it.” 

“Thanks, Peter,” I replied, finally looking up to smile at him. 

“Smart move, assisting her with her research. You will have her back in no time,” Venkman admitted.

“No, this is part of a long process in order to show Janine the amount I love her and the things I am willing to do to win her back,” I corrected, but he had left the lab.

_“I will win you back, Janine Louise Melnitz,”_ I thought firmly. _”I love you very much, and I know you feel the same about me. You are my Angel, and we are meant to be together. And we will be, once I prove it to you.”_

  
  


_Janine Melnitz_

By the time that Tuesday arrived, I still couldn’t figure out my secret supporter. It perturbed me, too, as I questioned a couple of my professors at my college but didn’t have any luck. They were pretty appalled that I landed this mystery ticket to the closed yet prestigious event.

The day of the lecture I arrived at Columbia fifteen minutes early in a short red and white polka-dot dress wrapped around my body snugly with low black heels, a notebook, a pen, and my purse, ready to take notes. There were twenty-five other people there, mostly students, in the front few rows of the large hall, and I joined them a row behind them. My excitement level was piqued, and I tapped my right foot anxiously. As I was studying my notes, a man in his mid-fifties with wire-framed glasses approached me,

“Excuse me, are you Ms. Melnitz?”

Peering up from my notebook, I took my reading glasses off my nose and smiled at the unknown man.

“Hello, I am Dr. Richardson, a professor here at Columbia,” the man with a pleasant air introduced himself with a smile and outstretched his hand,

“ Afternoon, Dr.Richardson. Yes, I am Janine Melnitz; thank you for the invitation to this lecture,” I responded sincerely, shaking his hand warmly. 

“I hear you are researching the Macintosh 128k,” Dr.Richardson commented, wearing a light brown leisure suit from the seventies that matched his eyes and his graying hair.

“Yes, I am writing my senior research paper on the 128k. Currently, I am working on my bachelor’s at King’s College in computer systems and will graduate in December,” I answered, smiling at him.

“I teach a class on Apple computers. If I can help you in any way, please give me a call. Unfortunately, I have to go, but it was my pleasure to meet you, Ms. Melnitz,” he said, handing me a card with his office phone number. I took it from him and stared at it in disbelief. It read:

“Dr. James Richardson, Head of Computer Science Department at Columbia University....”

“Thank you, Dr. Richardson, and thank you again for the invitation to this lecture,” I sincerely responded, meeting his eyes.

“Anything for a friend of Dr. Spengler,” he revealed with a smile, “ and might I say without being too forward that you are even lovelier than he described, and I can easily see the reason he is enamored with you, Ms. Melnitz.”

Flabbergasted, I froze when Dr. Richardson mentioned Egon with my mouth gaping, and felt my heart flutter in excitement. 

_“_ Dr. Spengler did this for me?” I inquired.

Astonishedly, Dr. Richardson regarded me with a puzzled expression like it was a foregone conclusion until another person called for him. My heart palpitated quickly in my chest as he said his goodbye. Dumbstruck, I sat there for a minute thinking about Egon’s role in my invitation.

“ _Why didn’t I even consider that it was him?_ ” I pondered, eagerly and then speculated, “ _Well, Egon did know Dr. Bateman when he was at Columbia. When did I talk to Egon about this paper? It’s been so odd between us since we broke up in April.”_

I didn’t have time to contemplate the new information as Dr. Richardson introduced Steve Jobs for five minutes before Apple’s founder appeared. On my first sheet of notebook paper, I wrote “Egon” and a question mark in the margins. Struggling, I realized that I would have to refocus now before Jobs started to speak as this was a prime opportunity for me to gain research to finish my paper.

“ _Pull it together, Melnitz_ ,” I scolded myself as Steve Jobs came to the podium in front of the large crowd and began to clap noisily along with everyone else.

Steve Jobs spoke for almost an hour about his new personal computer line, Macintosh, and I learned so much that my hand hurt from cramping as I wrote all the notes down. He even answered questions from Dr. Richardson’s students and some other people for another hour. Enthralled, I loved listening to Jobs and lost track of time. It would almost be three hours before I returned to the firehouse, and I promised Peter I would be back before four in the afternoon, thinking it was more than enough time. Before I left, I approached Dr. Richardson, thanked him again, and headed off campus towards the subway. I checked my watch, which read three-thirty, and my stomach growled. 

“Oh shit, I forgot to bring my lunch today, and I am working until nine-thirty tonight to make up my time,” I recalled out loud as I walked on the subway train, sighing. Unfortunately, it would take twenty minutes to get to Manhattan and five minutes to the firehouse; that was not enough time to make a run for food. 

Closing my eyes, Dr. Richardson’s comments about helping out a friend of Dr. Spengler repeated in my ears, causing me to smile gaily. 

_“...and might I say without being too forward that you are even lovelier than he described, and I can easily see the reason he is enamored with you, Ms. Melnitz.”_

Again, I simpered, happy to think Egon told his other former colleagues about me. Even though he never said it, I always felt too stupid for him. Egon encouraged me to follow my dreams of completing my degree for over a year now. I guess my insecurity was the problem and not Egon.

_Once Egon found me dressed in a purple cocktail dress, face down crying on my bed before we were to attend a former colleague’s retirement party in January._

_“What’s wrong, My Angel,” he asked, attempting to tug on my shoulder to turn me over to face him, but I resisted stubbornly._

_“I can’t go. Your friends will think I am not good enough for you because I don’t have multiple degrees. I’m just a secretary,” I cried, finally allowing him to turn me over after resisting initially. Egon’s face showed inexplicable kindness and concern for me._

_“Is that what you think,” he asked incredulously, then Egon pulled me into his arms to console me by rubbing my back and holding me. When I stopped weeping, he stated firmly,_

_“I don’t give a damn what my former colleagues think. I am in love... with you, Janine. You are a highly intelligent and alluring woman with an unbelievable amount of charm who thinks quickly on her feet. You sell yourself short, and I never understand the reason.”_

_When Egon pulled back from me, I gave him a deep, meaningful kiss. Then I recalled that we didn’t make it on time to that party because I screwed his brains out first._

Back in reality, a red light flashed on the answering machine alerted me to the fact that just because I wasn’t there for a few hours, my job didn’t stop. Putting my personal belongings away, I sighed and ran upstairs to make a sandwich. I opened the fridge and removed lunch meat, mustard, and swiss cheese, then took the bread from the bread box. Quickly, I made a sandwich but couldn’t cease my thoughts about Egon’s gracious gesture. He helped me finish my research for this massive project that I was assigned, and I felt gratitude for him. His thoughtfulness was heartwarming.

_“How was I going to repay Egon? I need to make sure to thank him later,”_ I thought. 

When the Ghostbusters returned, it was close to six-thirty, and they had dropped Winston off already. I was in the middle of a call and rescheduling a client when Egon exited Ecto One, not meeting my gaze and speaking to Peter. He wasn’t disregarding me on purpose because he didn’t know that I wanted his attention. We hardly spoke anymore, anyway, but it was still irritating. Ray came by my desk with four smoking ghost traps and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He grinned at me but didn’t say anything. Unfortunately, by the time I turned around to check on Egon, he was in the lab already. 

“Damn,” I said, hanging up the phone and glancing at my watch,” I have a break in about fifteen minutes. Maybe then.”

Ray strolled by me again ten minutes later, sans ghost traps, and asked if I could order some Chinese food for everyone. Nodding, I agreed as the sandwich from earlier was not enough to keep my stomach full as I finalized my paperwork and then dialed the guy’s favorite local place.

The owner first inquired for the name on order, so I answered in my thick Brooklyn accent, “Ghostbusters.” 

Peter mimicked my accent from the landing, and I rolled my blue eyes to the sky. Choosing to disregard my boss's provocation, I held my tongue until I hung up the phone and screamed, “Shut up, Peter Venkman!” 

Smirking, Ray requested the amount of our order, so I told them, and he handed me two dollar bills- a twenty-dollar and a five to pay for the food charge when it arrived in fifteen minutes. Until then, I worked on my paperwork.

Peter ran down here when he heard the knock on the door like a dog salivating at a bell and grabbed the money off of my desk before I could rise from my desk. It caused me to stop working and watch his ridiculousness. Dr. Venkman came over to my desk and removed my order from the bag with some plasticware after I turned him down on the offer to eat with the three of them. This was a working dinner for me, and when I thanked Egon, I wanted to be alone.

With my to-do list full and the phone ringing regularly, I was able to eat my food in between tasks. Sighing, I felt preoccupied about thanking him as I was highly grateful for his help. 

_Peter Venkman_

Around six that afternoon, I snoozed at my desk until I heard a pleasantly female voice inquire of Janine,“ Oh. Excuse me. This, this is the Ghostbusters' office?”

Immediately, I rose from my seat to view the owner of this musical voice and couldn’t believe this gorgeous well-dressed lady with curly brown hair appeared as she spoke calmly. Still, unassuredly of herself, the beauty asked, “I don't have an appointment. I'd like to talk to someone, please.”

“I'm Peter Venkman. May I help you,” I bolted over to Janine’s desk like a flash of lightning and introduced myself, using the most resonant voice I could to sound professional. When standing in front of the lovely lady with high cheekbones and a charming smile, I felt butterflies flutter around my stomach and swore I heard sweet instrumental music playing.

_“Is this what love at first sight feels like,_ ” I contemplated inwardly, “ _this is a first._ ”

“Well, I don't know. What I'm about to say may sound a little unusual,” she said, cautiously, eyeing me.

“Oh, that's all we get day in, day out around this place. Come into my office, Miss,” I questioned, leaving it Awestruckblank for her last name. Rapidly, I put on my best face to convey a business-like demeanor. I caught Janine’s contemptuous expression when I responded to our customer’s comment, and I gave her a ferocious glare.

“ _Please, Janine,_ ” I thought to myself, “ _Don’t mess this up for me_.”

“Barrett, Dana Barrett.”

Smiling, I led her to the lab where Egon and Ray snacked on cheese-its on the sofa as Winston had left for the day because he had a dinner date with Maura and her family.

“And this voice said ‘Zuul.’ And then I slammed the refrigerator door, and I left. That was two days ago, and I haven't been back to my apartment,” Dana explained, frightened as she sat connected to a machine to decipher her brain waves. We watched the monitor as her picture changed colors.

“Generally you don't see that kind of behavior in a major appliance. What do you think it was,” I asked, checking her out as I did. Her white blouse wrapped across her chest and she wore a fashionable brown knee-length skirt. As I analyzed her, I watched her, wondering about her profession.

“Well, if I knew what it was, I wouldn't be here,” Dana pointed out, fretfully as Iggy removed the electrodes from her forehead.

“ _She has a point_ ,” I thought to myself and questioned my close friend about his opinion. Spengler proceeded to blind me by shining a light in my eyes, causing me to cover my eyes with my arms swiftly in response.

“She's telling the truth. At least, she thinks she is,” Dr. Spengler proclaimed solemnly standing up from his rolling stool by Dana as I pondered the softness of her skin and hair absentmindedly.

“Well, of course, I'm telling the truth! Who would make up a story like that,” Dana exclaimed, angrily.

“Some are people who just want attention. Others, just nutballs who come in off the street,” I elucidated, honestly, avoiding gazing at gorgeousness for extended times because the last thing I wanted to appear as was a creep. This woman made me feel captivated like it was my first crush or something, and I felt enchanted by her.

“You know what it could be? Past-life experience intruding on the present time,” Ray announced, and Egon chimed in, “Could be erased memories stored in the collective unconscious. I wouldn't rule out clairvoyance or telepathic contact, either.”

As the two eggheads spoke, I noticed that Dana looked dubious like I usually was. 

_“Oh gee, she isn’t a believer of the paranormal, just like me_ ,” I wondered, sounding like a love-struck middle school student to myself.

“I'm sorry, I don't believe in any of those things,” Dana chuckled doubtfully.

“Well, that's all right. I don't either,” I agreed, standing up from my chair to take our new customer’s side as Stantz and Spengler exchanged a skeptical glance.

“But there are some things we do. Standard procedures we carry out in a case like this often bring us results,” I stated at first, then standing behind Dana. At that time, I gave my business partners a pleading look in which they knew at once that I wanted to impress Dana.

“Well, I could go down to the hall of records and check out the structural details in the building. Maybe the building itself has a history of psychic turbulence,” Ray suggested.

“Right, go do that,” I consented, nodding.

“I could look for the name Zuul in the usual literature,” Egon declared, and then Stantz mentioned Spates Catalog.

“Tell you what. I'll take Miss Barrett back to her apartment and check her out - I'll go check out Miss Barrett's apartment, okay,” I misspoke and groaned to myself, and the other two Ghostbusters present attempted to conceal their laughter. 

“ _Don’t scare the pretty lady away_ ,” I thought, admonishing myself first and my friends for chuckling at me,” _at least Janine didn’t hear it; she would never let me hear the end of it.”_

  
  


_Janine Melnitz_

When Peter returned from Ms. Barrett’s apartment, all he wanted to do was talk about her. Quickly, I schooled him that I still had work to finish for the day and didn’t have time for his latest infatuation. 

“It’s not just a crush, Brooklyn. I’m in love,” he confessed softly and dejectedly while searching for the other two Ghostbusters in their offices. 

Scoffing, I didn’t reply.

“ _Peter’s in love with a new woman every other weekend, one he had a hard one for_ ,” I thought, drily but chose to ignore his comment. 

“Ok, Venkman, what did you find out,” Ray inquired. 

“Dana Barrett is a cellist with a fabulous apartment at the top of Central Park West, and lives alone. She is smart as a whip and cuts through any b.s.,” Peter recalled, fondly, “I flirted with her, and she wasn’t receptive.”

“No, Venkman, about her case,” Ray groaned, exasperatedly,” Did you find anything in her fridge?”

“Raymond, I’ll admit we started roughly,but...”

I gratefully answered the phone when it rang clamorously not desiring to hear his story any longer.

“ _Damn, it was a wrong number_ ,” I groaned to myself as I hung up the receiver and went back to inputting invoices into a spreadsheet. 

“The old Venkman charm didn’t work, huh” Ray questioned, guffawing.

“No, but it will. I will wear her down; that’s what I do,” Venkman responded, both confidently and arrogantly. 

“She seemed pretty no nonsense,” Stantz indicated, skeptically him, “ and seems pretty tightly wound.”

“Dana won’t be uptight when I am done with her, boys,” Peter bragged, chuckling, “ she’ll be loose as a goose. The instant I saw her, I fell in love with her. Did you see how beautiful she was?”

“Love at first sight rarely occurs,” Egon refuted, “ Instead, it's a strong pull or attraction that makes someone particularly open to the possibilities of a relationship.” 

“I want to learn everything about Dana, what she likes, her dislikes. I am madly in love with her,” Peter continued, ignoring the eldest ghostbuster.

“You could call her,” Ray suggested, “ how did it end when you left?”

“Dana kicked me out,” Peter admitted, good naturedly, “ I asked for a goodbye kiss after suggesting I stay over to wait for the demon to reappear, but she pushed my face out of the doorway.”

Giggling, I could see this classy, well-dressed woman becoming frustrated with Venkman and removing him out emphatically. Unfortunately, I cackled too loud because then Peter demanded, playfully, “ I thought you had work to do, Brooklyn, and you didn’t have time for my inane story?”

“Well, I don’t, but you neglected to mention that she had to remove you from your apartment. Way to go, Dana,” I retorted sarcastically.

“Zing,” Ray yelled, howling with laughter, and I heard Egon join in with his deep throaty chuckle.

“Just you wait, Brooklyn, I am going to sweep this woman off her feet,” Venkman promised.

“Ok.”

Therefore, I focused back on my task at hand, invoices. Money had been coming in with the rise in clients and with the positive media publicity. At home, I had a copy of one of their articles on their recent bust on Chinatown in the New York Post and proudly displayed it in a display case on my mantle. I was happy they were getting some recognition for their hard work cleaning up the City of the supernatural.

Wearily, I climbed the stairs searching for Egon at the end of my shift, but he wasn’t in the landing, kitchen, lab, or his shared bedroom with my big brother. 

“Oh. Iggy is on the roof,” Ray finally said, after he exasperated noticed me hunting for Egon.

“Gee, thanks, big brother. I have only been exploring the whole second floor for him after a very long day,” I mumbled contemptuously.

“Are you two going out on a date,” Dr.Venkman questioned, feigning innocence.

“No, I want to thank him for giving me an invitation to the lecture because now I can finish my research,” I cleared up.

“Uh-huh,” Peter replied ominously, “how are you going to do that, Juliet?”

He indicated that I was going to make out with him or give him a sexual favor.

“Are you in high school? What the hell is your problem,” I demanded, narrowing my eyes and tapping my foot on the floor, “Everything isn’t about sex, Peter Venkman!”

“It isn’t?” Venkman played along, watching me grow more furious with the situation as it played out. Spinning around, I went up the stairs to the roof, ignoring Peter’s immature comments.

“Good thing there aren’t any memories here,” I sighed sarcastically, opening the door to the fresh air from the roof. I thought that the first time Egon and I watched the stars after eating Chinese food there the night after our first kiss. Then I recalled swaying with him under the stars, and I surpised.

Although it was August, it had cooled down a little, probably to 75 degrees, and felt a little refreshing from the cold air conditioning. The wind blew my frilly double-layered skirt up in the front, almost revealing a little more than my legs as I felt the strong breeze on my upper thighs. Swiftly, I held it down and took a deep breath around to find Egon. I didn’t see him.

Luminous gold stars lit up the dark sky and demanded my attention, so I craned my neck upwards. It had been a while since I had watched the stars. Perhaps the last time was with Egon. For a moment, I took in the beauty of the sky.

“Egon,” I called, walking as I searched the roof for the physicist until I found him sitting cross-legged near the edge of the roof. He had three candles in separate jars in front of him, his hands on his knees and palms up with his eyes closed. Egon was meditating. Intrigued, I watched him in the candlelight repeating something in a whisper but I couldn't make it out. 

The three candles brightened Egon’s face, and I could easily see his strongly defined jawline, the curve of his lips, and his thick eyebrows. He was so serene and graceful that I didn't want to disturb him, knowing that he worked diligently using this method to keep his focus on life goals. One of his therapists had suggested it earlier this year, and Egon was vastly resistant because he didn’t believe in that type of New Age thing. However, I insisted that he tried it and participated with him a couple of times.

Abruptly, he unlocked his eyes and twisted his body to his right side, where I was standing beside him. Egon’s exuberant smile appeared on his face like an appearance of a vivid rainbow after a storm and it shone as bright as the stars above when he saw me.

“Hi Janine,” he greeted, twisted his body to the right so he could make eye contact, “I was just thinking about you.” 

Egon grinned at me merrily and then inquired if I wanted to meditate with him.

“Uhm, no. I wanted to... Thank you for convincing Dr. Richardson to give me a ticket to the lecture,” I blurted out, unable to keep it in. 

“Who?”

Egon’s eyes were shut again when he spoke, but I think I saw a tiny smile creep upon his lips.

“Dr. Richardson from Columbia, head of the computer science department and according to him a friend of yours,” I added, sassily, choosing to sit in front of him where the trio of candles was in between us. Egon was wearing a Columbia shirt and khaki shorts, and currently passing off my comment.

“I noticed that you had been tremendously stressed lately , Janine,” he admitted, opening his brown eyes to view me and stroked my right arm gently with his fingertips, “ why don’t you meditate with me? You remember how right?”

“Egon, I came up here to ...” Goosebumps materialized as I spoke.

“ _How I adored the way Egon’s touch feels, it electrifies my whole body,”_ I thought.

“Your aura is all red, Janine. You need to unwind because your spirit is depleted; come on just for five to ten minutes,” he urged, with a sexy smile, “ Go ahead and cross your legs and sit up straight.”

“It is a little hard to do that in a skirt, Dr. Spengler,” I reminded him snobbily.

Silently, he rose off of the blanket that he was seated on and offered it to me. Reluctantly, I grabbed the blanket and used it to cover my legs as I sat crossed-legged in front of him. Egon scooted next to me and moved my arms to my knees, palms up, and then put his hands on my neck, squeezing them for a bit to test the waters to see if I would stop him. A shudder rocked through my body as he did so.

“Oh, that felt nice,” I surmised softly.

Egon placed both of his hands on my shoulders cautiously and began to manipulate my muscles gently.

“How’s that,” he whispered, huskily, in my left ear. Egon gave the top of my ear lobe a quick kiss, then removed his lips, and I experienced disappointment when he did so.

Groaning, I stated that it was perfect and felt myself calm down from the day’s stress. Egon continued rubbing for a little longer, then moved so he sat back down in front of me again. The wind blew the flame of the candles gently side to side.

“Thank you, Egon,” I remarked, gratefully.

“Close your eyes. Then take a deep breath in and slowly exhale out.”

Egon’s voice floated through the air and almost sounded like it was whispered in my ears although he was in front of me. I inhaled and exhaled, rhythmically. 

“I am going to take your hands,” he warned, “for this next part.”

“Ok.”

His large hands enveloped my own tightly but not so where it hurt. 

“I am working on some new mantras. Maybe you can use them too. Let’s start with the one that you know. Om, it means “It Is, Will Be or To Become.”

Holding hands and meditating together, I felt delightfully tethered to Egon as I could hear his breath fall into the same rhythm as mine, and the energy from his body passed into mine through his hands took my breath away for a second. Gasping, I opened my eyes quickly, and he did the same.

“ _What the hell was that?_ ” I wondered.

“Wow,” he gulped, experiencing the same sensation that I did as we stared at each other in stupefaction.

“Let’s try again,” I whispered eagerly, holding my hands out, and he nodded readily. Egon’s brown eyes were twinkling like the stars.

“Om.”

As we began breathing in simultaneously, our thoughts and feelings merged into one as if we were “mating,” as Egon would call it. There was an intense energy and love passing through us as we contemplated together; and I assumed that it went the reverse way. As we meditated, I found myself bent forward until his face grazed mine delicately.

His nose caressed my own, taking me aback, so I gasped, but Egon ceased moving, setting his forehead against mine. We chanted together, holding hands. My mind was on our connection and the intense love I felt coming from him.

When we both relinquished each other’s hands, I noticed that I had some tears falling down my cheeks that I hadn’t expected when I opened my eyes and stopped chanting. Egon leaned over the candles and wiped them off of my face gingerly, his own eyes misty over. I felt overwhelmed with the power of our link, and he appeared to be as well. He touched my cheek with his thumb, smiling brightly, and removed his hand from it, all the while keeping those beautiful brown eyes on me. We were still breathing in tandem, it seemed as we regarded each other up close, and I felt very vulnerable. Not that he hadn’t seen me that way before, but it had been a while. I felt like he was looking into a mirror. If this moment taught me anything, it was that Egon Spengler was my soul mate.

“ _Did he feel the same way,”_ I wondered inwardly? 

Slowly, my right hand caressed his face, unable to resist the urge to do so. His skin felt rough from the stubble that had grown in this morning. He gave me a slight grin when I did so and took my hand in his, then kissed the top of it. Egon let go of it and quoted a line from Romeo and Juliet, 

“My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.”

The moment ended because a flash of a camera blinded both of us. We had only been using candlelight at the time. Venkman and Stantz’s voices came from nowhere.

Egon’s face turned into a scowl rapidly.

“Leave.”

It was a command and not a request, and I noticed that both of his friends left right away without any more protestations. Sighing, he apologized for their behavior.

“That’s OK,” I commented, trying to read my watch. It was almost ten-thirty. “I have to go catch the subway.”

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed heavily, appearing disappointed by my statement.

With a shy grin, I thanked him for his help in procuring a ticket to the lecture.

“I am glad I could help. I know you have been working tirelessly on your senior research paper this summer and overheard you tell Ray and Winston it was over the 128K. Dr. Richardson teaches a class on Apple,” he confessed, with a boyish grin. 

“He was very nice. Quite the sweet talker, too,” I teased gently.

Arching an eyebrow, he seemed to want more information.

“He stated that he understood why you were so enamored of me,” I informed, anxiously, watching my candle.

“It is true,” Egon replied gratefully, “ I believe I spoke on the subject for most of the time we had lunch a couple of Sundays ago. Don’t be embarrassed. I am the one who should be with my actions regarding us.”

Egon peered into my eyes, and I put my index finger to his delicious soft lips to halt the conversation as I wasn’t ready to trust him again with my heart. After I caressed his skin for a second, my finger felt red hot, and I jerked my hand away.

“I am going to have to find a way to thank you,” I remarked sincerely, “ You have no idea how much you have helped me with this paper. Thank you, Egon, I mean it.”

“You already did; you meditated with me,” he responded, “ and I couldn’t be happier.”

“Hey Juliet, do you want a ride home it's almost ten-thirty,” Peter yelled, “ Ray and I are going to a friend’s band concert anyway in Brooklyn.”

Sighing, I thought about my options- take the subway or be teased to Brooklyn. Money was tight until payday on Friday, so I rose from the ground. 

“Yes, Venkman. I’m coming,” I screamed.

“Not in Ecto One, you aren’t, “ the psychologist answered, slapping his knee as he cackled.

”Hurry up, Juliet,” Peter yelled after he ceased laughing. 

“ _Venkman is so immature_ ,” I mumbled to myself.

“Good night, Egon,” I commented, smiling at him.

“Good night, Janine. Sweet dreams,” he wished, returning my grin.

  
  
  


_Egon Spengler_

When Janine left the rooftop to catch a ride with Peter and Ray, I basked in happiness on the roof. One by one, I blew out the candles and allowed them to cool off. As a boisterous bang came from the garage, Ecto One shot out of it like a bullet, indicating that Peter was piloting the vehicle. I relished my meditation by myself and with her. She and I had practiced reflection together a few times when we were together earlier this year. Once, we had a similarly powerful experience where we felt extraordinary love and energy flow through us as we were chanting. The best part of the situation was the oneness and intimacy I felt with Janine, and that just reminded me that she was my soulmate. After the candles were out and I had pondered the universe for a while longer, I stood up and went in for a shower. I felt satisfied with my next step in winning Janine back but still devised a more solid scheme. After my shower, I decided to check on my spores, mold, and fungus collection.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Ghostbusters script by Ackroyd and Ramis- I only wrote around it again.
> 
> Article about love at first sight that Egon quotes from-https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/meet-catch-and-keep/201801/is-love-first-sight-real
> 
> Chapter 6 will post on March 27- I'm on spring break in Cali and writing not as often.  
> 😃😎😃😎
> 
> Feedback always welcomed.


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